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1 




HARRIET HUBBARD AYER. 



facts for Ladies 



BEAUTY 

DIJMING, BY KINSLEY'S 

HOUSE DECORATION 

HEALTH OF WOJVIEJM Aj\JD ©HILDF^EJM 

BY ROBERT A. GUNN, A. M., M. D. 













EDITED BY * 




AMY G. AYER 




CHICAGO : 
AMY G. AYER, Publisher, 

109 and in Wabash Avenue. 
1890. 






/ 



COPYRIGHT, 

AMY G. AYER, 
1890. 



PREFACE. 



" A thing of beauty is a joy forever ; 
Its loveliness increases ; it will never 
Pass into nothingness." 

yohn Keats. 

THIS book is designed to occupy a position at once 
unique and important. It is a book expressly for ladies. 
It deals exhaustively and intelligibly with a vast number 
of matters, concerning which all ladies ought to be thor- 
oughly informed. In its comprehensive sweep, it covers 
the whole ground of personal and domestic life, and, 
especially for ladies just entering on the many cares and 
responsibilities of housekeeping, it would be exceedingly 
difficult to find, among the many books devoted to these 
matters, a more suitable adviser, friend and guide. 

The wisest of householders and the most sagacious 
and experienced of women, will sometimes find themselves 
placed in circumstances where they are a little at a loss to 
know what is just the best thing to do. But it is hardly 
conceivable that any exigency could present itself, or any 
question arise, that this book would not fully meet or 
answer. 

In the very outset, the book deals boldly with the 
question of personal beauty, and points out the secret of 
its development and perpetuation. Some foolish people 
seem to think that there is vanity, and only vanity, in the 
desire to be beautiful. It is not to be denied that there is 

3 



IV PREFACE. 

some natural pride in the conscious possession of beauty. 
But surely this pride is not to be wholly condemned! A 
lady ought to be as beautiful as she possibly can. This is 
her duty, it may also be her pride. Great masters of art 
in the old world and the new, have found nothing yet in 
the whole realm of nature more beautiful than " the 
human form divine." If this be so, the first and 
nearest duty is to guard and conserve that beauty by 
patient, jealous, constant care. There is no virtue in 
uncomeliness, and it is a shame to neglect that gracious 
" human form divine," which, by a little care, might be 
made " a thing of beauty " through youth and years, and 
on to venerable age. The " temple " of the body should 
always be kept pure and bright and beautiful. The sug- 
gestions under this head, concerning the complexion, the 
hair, the hands, the teeth, and the general grace and 
beauty of the human form, are as simple and detailed as 
they are important. 

Passing from this matter of personal beauty, the 
book then deals with the important question of dining. 
It is not necessary to be a pronounced epicure to know 
that dining, properly understood, is a fine art. There is 
all the difference in the world between " eating " and 
" dining." Mr. Gladstone, the octogenarian statesman, 
is said to have remarked that the secret of the robustness 
of his venerable age was the fact that he " never allowed 
himself less than an hour for the pleasant business of 
dining." The hasty lunch of the city is one thing, the 
pleasant dinner of the home is another. To sit down to a 
well-cooked dinner, gracefully served, with a few con- 
genial spirits round the board, is one of the chief delights 
of life. Fifty pages of this invaluable book are devoted 



PREFACE. V 

to a wise resume of practical hints on all the important 
points connected with this very important department of 
social life. The mode of arranging the dining-room and 
setting out the dining- table with a judicious use of cut- 
lery, silver, glass and flowers, is fully discussed ; and that 
discussion is followed by the introduction of a large variety 
of menus, with recipes for all kinds of delightful dishes, 
the excellence of which has been proved, not by occa- 
sional experiment, but by frequent and long-continued 
asage. 

The book next deals with the subject of house decora- 
tion, a subject that during the last ten years has become 
a matter of universal interest. The building of a house 
may tax the skill of architect and builder, but the furnish- 
ing and decoration that change a mere " house " into a 
" beautiful home," require taste and skill and tact. It is 
not wealth only that goes to the making of " the house 
beautiful," but that fine sense of arrangement that knows 
what colors harmonize, what contrasts are desirable, 
what forms are graceful, and where " a sweet disorder " 
is infinitely better than mere order. There is much more 
taste required than is commonly thought in knowing 
exactly where to hang a picture, and how to drape it 
when it is hung. The home is woman's kingdom ; here 
she reigns a queen by rights divine, and here her genius 
and taste find their happiest exercise. The drawing- 
room, the dining-room, the reception hall, the parlors, 
the library, the bed-rooms, are but separate estates of this 
one home realm, each of which requires a distinct and 
separate treatment. Into each one of these departments 
this book goes with wise and practical suggestions, and so 
thorough, and exhaustive, and minute are these sugges- 



VI PREFACE. 

tions, that it seems a pity that any household in the land 
should be without " Facts for Ladies." 

The last part of the book vies with all the rest in 
practical importance. " Man know thyself" is a good 
motto, but if the maidens and mothers of the world were 
better acquainted with their physical organism, and the 
simple secrets of health, they would spare themselves end- 
less and unnecessary suffering, and the future races of men 
would be cast in a more heroic mold. This department 
covers the ground of Woman's Physical Structure — Maid- 
enhood, Womanhood and Wifehood ; Motherhood, Baby- 
hood, Childhood; Diseases of Babyhood and Childhood; 
Diseases of Women ; General Hygiene, etc. The eleven 
chapters of this medical department have the rare advan- 
tage of presenting their various themes in plain, intelligible 
terms. Too frequently such matters are clothed in tech- 
nical phraseology to such an extent that it is very difficult 
to clearly apprehend their real meaning. 



CONTENTS. 



BEAUTY. 

PAGE. 

A Beautiful Complexion - - - - - 14 
Bathing - - - - -. - - -17 
An Oily Skin -----.-19 

Blackheads 20 

Cold Creams - - 20 

Wrinkles --------22 

Pimples -------- 27 

Freckles ----.---28 

Hair ---------30 

A Beautiful Form - - . . - .37 

Developing the Bust 43 

Teeth ------ ^ - - 44 

Hands -- 45 

Shoes -.- 48 

Dress and Color ------ 48 

pekfumes --------50 

DINING. 

Invitations -.-- - - - - -53 

Art of Dining - - 55 

7 



viii CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Wines — Order of Serving - - - - 59 

Breakfast, Luncheon, Tea, and Family Din- 
ners - - - - - - - - 6 1 

Carving -------- 66 

Choosing Fish, Game and Vegetables - - 69 

Flowers -------- 75 

Thanksgiving Day Dinner - - - -77 

Breakfast Menu - 79 

Choice Recipes 80 



HOUSE DECORATION. 

Harmony for the Eye 113 

Woman's Kingdom - - - - - - 115 

The Reception Hall - - - - - - 116 

The Drawing-Room - - - - - - 118 

Carpets or Rugs - - - - - -124 

The Library ------- ^5 

The Dining-Room - 130 

The Guest Chamber - - - - - - 138 

The Gentleman's Den - - - - - 140 

The Bed-Room - 142 

Shades for the Window - - - - - 151 
Elegance for Little Money - - - - 153 
Pretty Devices for the Home - - - 156 

An Authority on Designs - 167 



CONTENTS. IX 

HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN. 
CHAPTER I. 

PAGE. 

Woman's Physical Structure - 169 

CHAPTER II. 
Maidenhood — Education of Women - - 177 

CHAPTER III. 

menstruation and ovulation. 

Menstruation — Ovulation — Absence of Menses — 
Chlorosis — Painful Menstruation — Profuse Men- 
struation — Change of Life ----- 188 

CHAPTER IV. 

WOMANHOOD AND WIFEHOOD. 
Courtship — Marriage — Celibacy — Sterility - - 204 

CHAPTER V. 

MOTHERHOOD. 

Conception and Pregnancy — Signs of Pregnancy — 
Foetal Development — Maternal Changes During 
Pregnancy — Hygiene of Pregnancy — Disorders 
of Pregnancy ------- 222 

CHAPTER VI. 

MOTHERHOOD — continued. 

Painless Childbirth — Natural Labor and Its Man- 
agement — Difficult Labor — Preternatural Labor 
— Complicated Labor — Attentions After Labor 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 



— Diseases Following Labor — Accidents of Labor 

— Miscarriage and Premature Labor — Prenatal 
Impressions and Mother's Marks - - 259 

CHAPTER VII. 

BABYHOOD. 

Care of the New-Born Babe — Infant Feeding — 
Baby Hygiene — Physical and Mental Develop- 
ment --------- 294 

CHAPTER VIII. 

CHILDHOOD. 

Development of Both Sexes Alike Till Puberty — 
Education of Children — Hygiene of Childhood - 316 

CHAPTER IX. 

DISEASES OF BABYHOOD AND CHILDHOOD. 

Disorders of Infancy — Congenital Deformities — 
Diarrhoea — Cholera Infantum — Hydrocephalus — 
Convulsions — Croup — Diphtheria — Eruptive 
Fevers — St. Vitus' Dance — Sore Eyes — Ear- 
Ache and Discharges from the Ear — Infantile 
Leucorrhoea — 'Phimosis and Paraphimosis — Scald 
Head — Itch — Head Lice — Worms — Weak 
Spines and Spinal Deformities - - - - 325 

CHAPTER X. 

DISEASES OF WOMEN. 

Diseases of the Vulva and Vagina — Inflammation of 
and Ulceration of the Womb — Leucorrhcea — Dis- 



CONTENTS. XI 

PAGE. 

placements of the Womb — Tumors of the Womb 

— Diseases of the Ovaries — Cancer — Hysteria - 350 

CHAPTER XI. 

GENERAL HYGIENE. 

Condition of Dwellings — Dress — Rest and Sleep — 
Hygiene of the Skin — Hygiene of the Digestive 
Organs — Hygiene of the Respiratory Organs — 
Hygiene of the Eye — Hygiene of the Ear — Hy- 
giene of the Generative Organs - 363 

Glossary 377 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



PORTRAITS OF QUEENS OF BEAUTY. 

Harriet Hubbard Ayer - - Frontispiece, 

recamier --------14 

Mrs. Scott Moncrieff ----- 30 

Lillian Russell - - -- - - -46 

Lila Cavanaugh - 62 

Minna K. Gale 78 

Ellen Terry - 94 

Miss Van Austin 174 

Isabella Urquart 190 

Gladys -------- 222 

Mrs. Langtry - - 254 

Miss Carrie Daniels - 286 

Mrs. James Brown Potter - - - - 318 

Ada Rehan -------- 334 

A Study 350 

Mme. Rhea - 366 

EXAMPLES OF DECORATION. 

Dining-room - 136 

Reception Hall - 11 1 

Reception Hall 116 

Hall Settle, etc. 148 

Sitting-room -140 

Parlor - - 120 

Coffee Table, etc. 154 

Library - 125 



FACTS FOR LADIES. 



BEAUTY. 



Since the world began beauty has ruled, and yet 
who can tell you what it is? As " one star differeth from 
another star in glory," so does one woman differ from 
another in beauty. One competent judge will tell you 
golden hair and blue eyes constitute beauty; another 
whose judgment is equally good insists there can be no 
beauty without black hair and sparkling dark eyes. 
Beauty, from this standpoint, being only a matter of 
individual taste and opinion, the question is left open for 
every woman to establish a criterion for herself; for 
beauty is charming, exquisite individuality. Regular 
features, light hair, dark hair, brown eyes or blue, are 
only a small portion of beauty. A pretty face, without 
its little details of dress and personal care, is forgotten as 
soon as looked at. On the other hand, a woman with 
positively homely features, who understands detail of 
dress, the secrets of a fine complexion, sparkling eyes, 
beautiful form, and who has made human nature enough 
of a study to know just when to say the right thing in the 
right place, will be considered the beautiful woman, where 
perfect features will pass unnoticed. 

What are the secrets of a fine complexion, sparkling 
eyes, beautiful form, etc.? Physicians, realizing the 



14 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

interest, and trying to meet the demand for information, 
on this subject, have written page after page, and book 
after book has been published. The purchaser, beguiled 
by the catchy title, finds, after hours of patient reading, 
that there is nothing more profound than the mysteries of 
the human system, unless it be " personal beauty," as set 
forth by these writers. To understand the technical 
terms, the " whys and the wherefores," would need a 
thorough medical course to carry out the suggestions, 
would need more than the threescore years and ten, in 
which we are supposed to finish the duties of this mortal 
life. 

With all due respect to the learned writers, " Profes- 
sor " this, and " Dr." that, personal beauty can be de- 
veloped without studying "Hygiene" or "Anatomy." 
Beauty, summed up into a fine complexion, bright, spark- 
ling eyes, a straight, lithe figure, and shining hair, is within 
every woman's power to reach, and means simply bathing 
fresh air and exercise. 

A BEAUTIFUL COMPLEXION. 

There is nothing attracts the eye sooner than a clean, 
beautiful complexion. There are numerous causes for 
a bad complexion. It is generally the result of not 
bathing regularly and often, an indoor life, sleeping in 
badly ventilated rooms, a fretful, irritable disposition, an 
inactive liver, hard water and impure soaps. Cleanli- 
ness being the foundation of health and beauty, the ques- 
tion of bathing should be the first considered. Bathing is 
a much discussed question. Of course, in this enlightened 
day, everybody is supposed to bathe properly, but there 
are so many different opinions as to what is proper. The 



A BEAUTIFUL COMPLEXION. I 5 

old fashioned idea was a hot bath Saturday night, and 
" high neck " washes through the week. The ideas of our 
grandfathers and grandmothers would have gone through a 
wonderful transformation if they had lived to enjoy the 
benefits of the " black diamonds." 

In the times of huge fire-places and bright, sparklinglogs, 
a thorough bath once or twice a week might do for clean- 
liness, but was it enough for health? In this generation 
the perfect health of our forefathers is often quoted to us. 
It is possible that it was their imperfect health that is affect- 
ing this generation. There are old homesteads in the cen- 
tral part of New York whose inmates have lived on year 
after year, repeating the habits and living the lives of their 
forefathers, and are they specimens of health and hardi- 
hood ? Not by any means. Rheumatism, dropsy, can- 
cers and other diseases are proverbial. Why is it not safe 
to conclude that these blood diseases are caused by the 
imperfect condition of the skin, and this the result of not 
frequent bathing. The human system digests daily, or 
(should do so) seven pounds of food and drink, five pounds 
of which is thrown off through the kidneys, bowels and skin; 
from one to two pounds through the perspiratory glands of 
the skin alone. The " pores " are the apertures of the 
perspiratory glands, and a fair estimate of the number of 
pores on a person of ordinary size is seven millions ! It is 
easy to understand what the state of health or the con- 
dition of the blood must be if this poisonous effete matter 
is obstructed in any way. A perfect condition of the skin 
can be obtained by frequent bathing only. And frequent 
bathing means twice every day at least. 

Upon rising in the morning the skin is in a moist con- 
dition, and covered with poisonous matter thrown off dur- 



1 6 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

ing sleep. A quick sponge bath with cold water, and a 
vigorous rubbing with coarse towels should not take more 
than five minutes, and to relieve the skin of this poisonous 
matter is certainly necessary, otherwise it will be reab- 
sorbed by the system. Again at night, before retiring, 
the same quick bath should be taken, using hot water 
instead of cold, relieving the skin of the dust and dirt it 
has accumulated through the day. Some physicians assert 
too much bathing is injurious, and many ladies claim they 
find frequent baths weakening. Remaining in water any 
length of time, and repeating this process often, undoubt- 
edly is weakening, but quick sponge baths and vigorous 
rubbing can only be strengthening. The shock of the 
cold water against the warm skin in the morning sends the 
blood tingling through the veins, and the exercise of 
rubbing with flesh brush or coarse towels prevents one 
taking cold, and is certainly a better tonic for an inactive 
case than any medicine that could be prescribed by the 
best physician. The hot water used at night, not only 
cleanses the skin, but rests the tired nerves and produces 
sweeter sleep. Every mother understands the effect upon 
an infant. Why should it not be just as beneficial when 
we are grown up? Nothing destroys the complexion 
sooner than retiring without every particle of dust 
removed from the face. To accomplish this needs hot water 
and soapy always being careful to use pure soap. White 
Castile is always to be relied upon, though there are many 
good, pure soaps in the market. Most ladies have their 
favorite soap. What agrees with one skin does not always 
agree with another. It is best to give them a trial and 
decide for yourself which one is the most soothing to 
your skin. Colgate's Cashmere Bouquet, Kirk's fine toilet 



A BEAUTIFUL COMPLEXION. 1 7 

soaps, " Cherry Blossom " are all good, though the latter 
might be considered too expensive for daily baths. How- 
ever, it is better to economize on something else, and use 
good soap. Many a fine complexion is ruined by using 
cheap soap, and many times serious blood poisoning has 
been the result. While hot water and soap are positively 
necessary to remove the accumulation of dust and dirt, 
mixing with the oil of the skin on the face, it leaves the 
skin in a dry state, which is not particularly pleasant or 
beneficial. It is best to have on the toilet table some kind 
of oil, almond oil, olive oil or cold cream, with which to 
anoint the face after bathing. This is one of the essen- 
tials of " beauty's toilet table." I will devote more space 
to it, and give some recipes for making cream elsewhere. 
So much can be said about bathing that it seems as 
if something must necessarily be left unsaid. It is really 
the connecting link between plainness and beauty ; in 
other words, the starting point. As intimated in the 
beginning, profundity is left to the profession, and those 
intent upon showing off their learning. What I am telling 
you is only the experience of one woman to another, and 
my only object is to convince you that color can be brought 
to the paled cheek, and that the peach bloom that is there 
already can, by proper care and attention, be retained. 
The same treatment will do both. Bathing being beauty's 
foundation, do not be afraid of water. It is nature's 
own medicine. It can only be weakening when it is a 
rarity. The cold morning bath is invigorating, and will 
bring a sparkle to the eye as nothing else will, and the 
hot bath at night is restful. Ladies living in the country 
have the blessing of soft rain water, which they should 
appreciate. It is a luxury in itself. Those deprived of 



1 8 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

this convenience can do much toward producing the same 
effect by adding borax or ammonia to the bath water. 

The bath water can be made delightfully fragrant by 
the addition of toilet water. The water is not only made 
fragrant, but the skin is made velvety and soft. 

An excellent toilet water for softening the skin is 
made in the following manner: 

i lb. Barley Meal. 
2 lbs. Bran. 
I oz. Borax. 

Dissolve in two quarts of water, and add to the bath 
water ; an ordinary bath is about thirty gallons. Strain 
the above through cheese cloth when dissolved. 

CAMPHORATED BATH. 
This is fragrant and cosmetic. 

1 oz. Tincture of Camphor. 
y 2 oz. Tincture of Benzoine. 

2 oz. Cologne Water. 

Drop slowly into the bath. This being a rather ex- 
pensive toilet water, it is better to make it up in a quan- 
tity, and keep it on the toilet table, and use it for smaller 
quantities of water, as in the sponge bath. 

We are all aware of the luxury and benefit of a milk 
bath. While it produces a remarkable whiteness and 
smoothness of the skin, unfortunately it is an expensive 
luxury. A very good substitute is made from the 
following mixture: 

]/ 2 lb. Marsh Mallow Flour. 
% lb. Hyssop Erb. 
4 lb. Bran flour. 

Put into a cheese-cloth bag, and add to an ordinary 
bath of thirty gallons. 



ALKALINE BATH. — AN OILY SKIN. 19 

ALKALINE BATH. 

This is only good to use occasionally if troubled with 
an oily skin. It is also cooling and refreshing in cases of 
fever. 

6 oz. Carbonate of Soda (Crystal). 

1 oz. Borax. 

Dissolve in one quart of water, and add to an 
ordinary bath. 

The sea salt that is kept by all druggists makes an 
excellent bath, and is very strengthening. 

A fine substitute for an ocean bath is made from the 
following: 

2 lb. Muriate of Soda. 
I lb. Sulphate of Soda. 
% lb. Chloride of Lime. 

% lb. Chloride of Magnesia. 

Dissolve in two quarts of warm water, and add to the 
ordinary bath. 

AN OILY SKIN, 

Ladies troubled with an oily skin may bathe the face 
with this lotion with benefit: 

% oz. Pulv. Borax. 

1 oz. Glycerine. 

1 quart Camphor Water. 

It is healing, whitening and beneficial. 

A few drops of ammonia added to the bath stimu- 
lates and cleanses the skin. It is particularly valuable in 
removing odor from those who perspire freely. It should 
be used with care, however. If used too freely it stimu- 
lates the hair capsules, and will start the fine hair growing 
on the arms, face and neck, which is anything but desir- 
able. 



20 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

" BLACKHEADS." 

Blackheads or comedones are formed by the oil in 
the perspiratory glands becoming hard and too dense to 
escape in the usual manner, and is generally the result of 
not bathing properly (not using hot water and soap on 
the face). The dust and dirt mingling with the oil at the 
aperture or " pore " form the blackheads, and they can 
only be removed by pressure. Washing the face with 
hot water and soap and water in which is a very little car- 
bolic acid is efficacious in causing them to disappear. In 
using carbolic acid use warm water, and only a few drops 
of the acid, but have it strong enough to slightly smart 
the face, or that part of the face affected by the black- 
heads. It stimulates the skin or glands into activity, and 
allows the oil to escape in the natural manner. 

COLD CREAMS. 

Every lady should have among her toilet articles 
good " cold cream. " If made with the proper ingredients, 
it is indispensable in cases of pimples, chapping or any 
roughness of the skin. 

Thousands of dollars are expended in advertising the 
innumerable creams in the market, and, when you ask a 
druggist which is preferable, he invariably sets forth his 
own special make. The truth of the matter is, they are 
all very much alike. If one is better than the other, the 
preference should be given to the one not advertised ex- 
tensively. To pay for advertising, the profits must neces- 
sarily be large, and consequently the quality of ingredients 
inferior. Nearly all creams sold in stores become rancid, 
and in this state are irritating to the skin instead of sooth- 
ing. It is better to make your own creams. It can be 
.done with very little trouble and at small expense. 



COLD CREAMS. 21 

For years a prominent society lady, noted for her 
exquisite skin and complexion, has used a cream made 
from the following recipe: 

I oz. Spermaceti. 
I oz. White Wax. 

1 oz. Benzoated Lard. 

2 oz. Almond Oil. 

% oz. Camphor Gum. 

Dissolve the camphor gum in the oil, and add the 
other ingredients, heating the whole only to melt. When 
melted, beat with a fork for one hour, or until perfectly 
cold, white and creamy. In using it the face must be 
perfectly free from dust or any foreign matter. Take a 
small quantity on the tips of the fingers, and spread on the 
face and neck, rubbing until the cream is absorbed by the 
skin. The almond oil spreads very easily, and a very 
little of the cream will cover the face and neck. The face 
becomes soft and velvety almost immediately. A very 
fine effect is produced by rubbing the " shine" off with a 
soft flannel dipped in powder. Using powder in this 
manner not only produces a better effect, but the skin is 
not injured by the powder. 

The recipe for cream just given, will cure the severest 
cases of pimples, and in cases of sunburn, chapping and 
chafing, immediate relief is given. 

Another excellent cream for making the face smooth 
and satiny, and used by a prominent actress for years, is 
made from the following ingredients: 

I oz. Spermaceti. 

I oz. White Wax. 

I oz. Olive Oil. 

i tablespoonful of Honey. 

Melt and beat to a cream. Apply at night, using 



22 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

a mask. Another cream used by the same actress, to 
keep the flesh of the face from becoming flabby, is made 
from the following: 

The White of one Egg. 

One Tablespoonful of Honey. 

% oz. Alum. 

Ground Barley, enough to make paste. 

This is beaten together and used with a mask. 

One of the finest lotions for keeping the skin of the 
face, hands and arms, in perfect condition, is made from 
this formula: 

3 oz. Rose water. 

I oz. Glycerine. 

10 drops Carbolic Acid. 

After bathing, and just before using the towel, take a 
few drops in the palm of the hands, and rub over face, 
neck, hands and arms. If there is too much glycerine, 
so much that it is noticeable, use a little less than an 
ounce. By keeping this lotion on the toilet table, and 
using it as often as water is used, the skin will always 
be smooth as satin. Glycerine should never be used, 
unless very much diluted. It darkens the skin, and is 
very drying. 

WRINKLES. 

It is supposed by many, that wrinkles are the una- 
voidable foot-prints of old age. This is a mistake. They 
are the result of the tissues being emptied of their fatty 
substance, which may be from different causes. Probably 
nothing causes them sooner than sleeping in badly venti- 
lated rooms. Worrying and fretting over the troubles we 
think are coming to us, instead of making the best of the 
troubles we have; that solace of most women — tears — 



WRINKLES. 23 

whose furrows are the most difficult to efface; hard water, 
using too much soap and water on the face, etc., etc. — 
any of these will cause the appearance of " crows-feet." 
While wrinkles indicate a failing of the nervous system, it 
does not necessarily follow, they are the inevitable fore- 
runner of advancing years. The human body, like fine 
blooded horses, needs fine grooming. If men would 
insist upon their wives and daughters having personal care 
and attention in proportion to the care and attention 
given to their fine carriage horses, or " trotters " — " blos- 
soms in other fields " would not have the attraction they 
have to many of them the present days. Women so 
soon get into a rut; outdoor life, riding, rowing, walk- 
ing, cycling, are left to the younger portion of the family; 
in fact, the mother insists upon the daughter having out- 
door exercise for health's sake. If fresh air is good for 
the daughter, why not equally so for the mother? Out- 
door sports are looked upon in the light of amusement 
only. I suppose the charm would be lessened greatly, if 
insisted upon as a necessity to keep the system toned up. 
Out-door life is positively essential to perfect health and 
beauty. One of the reigning beauties at the court of 
three successive kings of France, was, at seventy, " as 
charming, as fresh, and as lovely as any lady of thirty." 
It was said, by the aid of skilled physicians, " a potion of 
soluble gold had preserved her beauty." The more sen- 
sible conclusion is that it was her keeping up an interest 
in everything that keeps the heart young, " five hours a 
day in the open air, riding hard with hawk and hound, 
good meat and wine, daily baths," etc. 

Physical exercise and out-door life are just as essen- 
tial for the mother as the daughter, and probably more 



24 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

so — no less, anyway. This would lay a foundation for 
wrinkles not appearing. If the skin has become dry and 
starved, it needs nourishment, externally as well as inter- 
nally. Much can be done to cause the disappearance of 
wrinkles, always providing the body has plenty of nour- 
ishment, good food, good drink, and attention is paid to 
the suggestions in regard to bathing and massage treat- 
ment for the face. With good cold cream, almond oil or 
olive oil will remove deep-seated wrinkles. It cannot be 
done with a few treatments. It took years of neglect to 
bring them, and it must take patience and perseverance 
to remove them. Any of the recipes given for cold 
cream are excellent, and should be used in this manner; 
Upon retiring at night, wash the face thoroughly with hot 
water and pure soap. While the face is still warm and the 
skin active from the rubbing with soft towels, take a little 
cream on the hands and rub it on the face and neck, and 
rub in the opposite direction from which the wrinkles are 
formed. One writer on the subject says: " Rub toward 
the scalp, or wrinkles will be added, instead of removed." 
Rub the face until the cream is absorbed, or from fifteen 
to twenty minutes. In repeating this each night for two 
or three weeks, you will find the flesh becoming firmer, 
and the tissues filling out. Rubbing and pressing the 
face starts the circulation, and keeps the tissues from be- 
coming dry and inactive. 

Many Parisian ladies, in the secrecy of their chambers, 
on retiring at night, or some part of the day, bind their 
faces with thin slices of raw beef or veal. For several 
years a popular lady of the " American colony " in Paris, 
has used this remedy to feed the tissues of the face, with 
remarkable results. At thirty-eight she has the complex- 



WRINKLES. 25 

ion and skin of a girl of eighteen. It may not be a pleas- 
ant thing to contemplate, but it prevents and removes 
wrinkles as nothing else will. Other ladies noted for their 
fine complexions, sleep in masks made of rubber or silk. 
It is a question whether excluding the air from the face may 
not be injurious eventually, but the perspiration caused 
by the use of the mask keeps the face white and delicate 
looking. The mask should have a thin layer of cold cream 
on its inner surface, or the face should be thoroughly 
anointed with oil or cream before adjusting the mask. 
An excellent remedy for preserving the skin fair and ward- 
ing off wrinkles is a paste made from the following: 

4 Eggs (the Whites of). 

% pt. Rosewater. 

% oz. Alum. 

^ oz. Oil of Sweet Almonds. 

Almond Meal or Oatmeal enough to form paste. 

Beat the eggs, rosewater, alum and almond oil 
together, and add the almond meal or oatmeal until a 
paste is formed thick enough to spread over mask. This 
will give firmness to the flesh, as well as make the skin 
fair and smooth. 

A good remedy for cleaning out the complexion and 
making the skin fair, is to take a teaspoonful of charcoal 
in water or milk, every morning before breakfast, for ten 
days. Half an hour after eating, three times a day, take 
a wine-glass full of dandelion tea, in which is a little extract 
of mandrake. There is nothing better than charcoal for 
removing organic impurities from the stomach, but it never 
should be taken unless followed with some kind of a mild 
cathartic afterward, as it is constipating. 

A great many girls and women resort to the arsenic 
pills advertised to beautify the complexion. Without 



26 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

doubt they are efficacious in filling out the tissues and 
making the skin perfect and fair. In some cases they are 
beneficial, particularly when the system is malarious; but, 
if the pills contain enough arsenic to produce any change 
whatever, after a time they would become injurious, and 
should be taken only under the advice of a physician. 

A fine preparation for bringing the blood to the exter- 
nal fibers of the skin, and roses to cheeks and lips, is made 
from this recipe: 

3 oz. Rosewater. 

1 teaspoonful Tincture of Benzoin. 

It is also unsurpassed as a remedy to remove tan and 
sunburn by sponging off the face with it after exposure, 
and before using any water. 

Lemon juice diluted with water is always very satis- 
factory in removing tan. 

Muriatic acid is also good for whitening the skin. In 
using it, care should be taken. Add only a few drops to 
the bath water. 

Another lotion for removing tan or sunburn is this: 

10 grains Borax. 

2 oz. Limewater. 

i oz. Finest French Oil of Jasmine. 
i oz. Oil of Sweet Almond. 

If the face has become sore, or is peeling off after 
using this lotion, use every morning, after washing, a prep- 
aration made from the following: 

2 drachms Cloride of Ammonia. 

I oz. Spirits of Wine. 

io drops Attar of Roses. 

I pt. Rosewater. 

I oz. Venetian Talc (fine powder). 

Dissolve the cloride in the rosewater, and the attar in 
the spirit. Mix the two solutions and add the talc. 



W RINKLES . — PIMPLES, 27 

For those having tendency to very red faces, it is 
better to avoid eating anything that will heat the blood, 
particularly during the summer months. Eat fruits, salads, 
fresh new vegetables and light meats, such as fish or 
poultry. 

If the complexion naturally inclines to sallowness, 
nothing will cure it quicker than exercise in the open air, 
eating coarse bread, and hunting for the sunny spots. 

If the skin is coarse, the coarse bread, oatmeal, with 
plenty of bathing and frequent changes of underclothing 
— those that come next the skin — will produce a wonder- 
ful effect m a short time. If the face is rough, bathing, 
and the applications of cold cream will smooth out the 
roughest skin. 

I pt. White Brandy, 
% pt. Rosewater, 

makes an excellent wash for removing roughness of the 
skin. It should be used to sponge off the face night and 
morning. The brandy keeps up a circulation, and the 
rosewater counteracts the effect of the skin becoming too 
dry in using the brandy. 

PIMPLES. 

Any of the recipes given for cold cream will cure 
severe cases of pimples, if they are of the common red 
order. If they are inclined to be sore, and come from 
impurities of the blood, a cream made from the following 
will be found to be very drying and healing: 

1 oz. White Wax, 

1 oz. Spermaceti, 

2 oz. Almond Oil, 

I oz. Benzoated Lard, 
I oz. Oxide of Zinc, 

melted and beaten to a cream. Use it on the face, and at 



28 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

the time remove the cause by taking some simple remedy 
for purifying the blood. 

FRECKLES. 

There are two kinds of freckles, sun freckles and liver 
freckles. When caused by exposure to the sun, they are 
just under the epidermis, or scarf skin, and can be removed 
by external applications. Lemon juice, diluted with water, 
proves efficacious sometimes, and any application that will 
rough up the skin sufficiently to remove the scarf skin, 
removes the freckles with it, though this process is more 
or less disagreeable. Several years ago there was a sen- 
sational lawsuit in England over a cosmetic. Three peo- 
ple, each claiming to be the the inventor of a popular tonic 
for "making complexions beautiful," called upon judge and 
jury to decide the matter. During the progress of the 
trial the formula was given, which was as follows. 

ij£ oz - Bitter Almonds. 

15 grains Corrosive Sublimate. 

1 qt. water. 

This preparation, while it contains deadly poison, does 
nothing more or less than burn off the upper skin, or 
scarf skin, and of course removes all blemishes with it. 

One of the most popular moth and freckle lotions 
— or the most advertised — of the present day, is made 
from alcohol, corrosive sublimate and acetic acid. It 
sounds as if the parties advertising such a remedy should 
spend the rest of their days behind the bars, but, as fortunes 
have been made with it, and people still continue to pur- 
chase " bleaches," it must be the results are, in some cases, 
satisfactory. For those whose ambitions tempt them 
to " rush in where angels fear to tread," I will give a 



FRECKLES. 29 

recipe, for a " bleach " which is claimed to be the formula 
of a very much advertised moth and freckle lotion. 

^ 4 oz. Alcohol. 

12 grains Corrosive Sublimate. 
12 oz. Rose water. 
2 oz. Glycerine. 

It is not necessary to add, this preparation should be 
marked " poison " — and, in using it, care should be taken 
that it does not touch lips or eyes — aside from that, its 
effect will be to rough up the scarf skin, in other words, 
it is intended to burn 4^ the scarf skin, and the sensation 
is the same as a severe case of sunburn. A good many of 
the professional " beautifiers " use similar preparations, 
and they claim that the" bleach" not only takes off freckles 
and moth, but that it brings the impurities of the blood to 
the surface. I have known several ladies that have gone 
through the " transformation," and were satisfied with the 
results. And others, becoming frightened at the disa- 
greeable burning sensation, and the redness produced by 
the first application, have rushed to a physician, and been 
told they were poisoned. The lotion given by the physi- 
cian to " counteract the effect of the poison " in one 
instance, when analyzed by a chemist, contained the same 
ingredients as the " bleach." If using it at all, it is better 
to dilute it with water, and allow the " transformation " to 
be more gradual. Otherwise, dip a camel's-hair brush into 
the solution, and apply it to the spots affected by the moth 
or freckles. In applying the solution to the face for the 
purpose of removing the scarf skin, use a sponge. Unless 
a smarting is produced, it will not have the desired effect, 
but it is not necessary to have the sensation severe. If 
too severe, it is better to dilute the bleach with water, 



30 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

and take longer time for removing the blemishes. 
It can be done in three weeks without very disagree- 
able results by using a weak solution. If used full strength, 
the skin will peel off in a few days. 

Another remedy for removing freckles, tan and sun- 
burn is made from this recipe: 

I lb. Epsom Salts. 

1 qt. Boiling Water. 
i oz. Quince Seed. 

2 oz. Alcohol. 

Juice of two Lemons (strained). 

Dissolve the quince seed in alcohol, and add to the 
other ingredients. 

A lady noted for her exquisite complexion was at one 
time very much annoyed by a mass of freckles, which she 
removed by using this preparation : 

I oz. Sweet Almonds. 

4 drachms Bitter Almonds. 

io fluid oz. Cherry Brandy. 

Add 
6 grains Corrosive Sublimate. 
6 drachms Tincture Benzoin. 
4 drachms Lemon Juice. 

Shake well before using, and use night and morning, 
applying with a sponge. 

HAIR. 

Undoubtedly "The glory of a woman is her hair." 
The most beautiful woman shorn of her hair would be 
decidedly hideous. While it is glory's crown, and beauty 
dependent upon it, there are comparatively few women 
who really understand the treatment hair should have. To 
be sure, it is brushed enough to straighten out " tangles," 
and combed enough to get it up in apt prevailing style. 
Systematic hair baths and vigorous brushing are not 




MRS. SCOTT MONCRIEFF. 



HAIR. 31 

thought of until the hair, from years of neglect, com- 
mences to fall out, and what little there is left becomes 
gray and lifeless. How many women there are that never 
wash their hair ! some claiming they cannot do so with- 
out taking a severe cold, others that water is injurious for 
the hair. 

Both of these ideas are erroneous. The hair should 
be washed thoroughly once a week, and brushed with 
stiff hair brush twice every day, morning and night, for at 
least fifteen minutes. The scalp, to be in perfect condi- 
tion, must be kept absolutely free from dirt, caused by 
accumulations of dust mingling with the oil. Brushing 
the hair thoroughly, removes this foreign matter to a great 
extent, but it is not sufficient to keep the scalp clean and 
the pores open. Water must be used with some alkali 
strong enough to cut the oil, otherwise the hair will be 
left in a " gummy " state. Common bar soap is better 
than toilet soap, but borax, ammonia, or salts of tartar 
are better. 

Borax is rejected by some on account of its turning 
gray hair yellow, which, of course, destroys its beauty. 
There is nothing more beautiful than silvery gray hair. 
Ammonia is inclined to make the hair brittle. It is my 
opinion there is nothing better than salts of tartar. 
Many years' use of it and a luxuriant head of hair are 
proofs of the assertion. 

An excellent hair wash is made from the following 
recipe: 

1 oz. salts of Tartar. 

I qt. Water. 

The Juice of three Lemons. 

Dissolve the salts of tartar in the water (warm water), 



32 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

add the juice of the lemons (strained). The lemon juice 
cuts the alkali, but still leaves its cleansing qualities. 
When the effervescing caused by adding the lemon juice 
to the salts is over, hold the head down over the wash- 
bowl, and turn the hair over carefully into the wash, wet- 
ting it all thoroughly. Take the hands and wet the scalp 
and roots of hair, rubbing enough to make a lather. The 
salts of tartar immediately remove all dirt, and even the 
lady who scorns the idea of dirt on her person will be 
surprised at the color of the water. Unless the hair has 
had a very recent bath, it will be simply black. After 
thoroughly rubbing the scalp, or until assured all par- 
ticles are loosened up, twist the hair in clear water, and 
at least three times. Have the first rinsing water a little 
warm, the rest colder, the last positively cold. Take 
coarse towels and absorb the water, then use dry towels 
and rub the scalp until the hair is thoroughly dry. It 
is better to shampoo your hair yourself, even if you are 
fortunate enough to possess a maid competent enough 
to do it for you; the exercise will prevent your taking 
cold. In preparing the hair for the bath, it is good to 
take a fine comb and loosen up the accumulations on the 
scalp, then brush it out perfectly free from tangles. If 
you are careful in turning it over into the water, it will 
not get tangled, and there is no need of its being so at 
any time during the process of the shampoo. When the 
hair is nearly dried, by the use of the towels, commence 
using the hair-brush and coarse comb to get it into its 
natural position. Allow it to hang loosely until it is per- 
fectly dry. 

Do not make the mistake of confining it with hair- 
pins, if there is even a suspicion of dampness about it. 



HAIR. 33 

Fresh air is an excellent tonic for the hair. If one lives 
where it is convenient to do so, there is nothing better for 
the hair than to let it down and go out into the sunshine. 
Each individual hair will appear to take a new lease of 
life. Light hair is especially benefited by this sun and 
air bath. Two hours in the sun will bring out the color 
in the most wonderful way, making it three shades lighter. 
The Italian ladies take the crowns out of straw hats with 
broad brims, and draw the hair up through the crown, 
allowing it to fall over the brim, then resort to the roofs 
of their houses, and sit in the sunshine hours at a time. 
In this way they bleach their hair, without the use of 
powerful remedies that can but injure the hair in time. 

In regard to bleaching the hair, I suppose, until the 
end of time, there will be those interested in the process, 
and this chapter will not be complete without some infor- 
mation on the subject. Hair that is naturally light, can 
be made several shades lighter by simple remedies, 
without necessarily injuring it, but to change dark hair 
to a golden hue, needs a powerful bleach, and the process 
will in time cause the hair to fall out. Peroxide of 
hydrogen is the basis of most hair bleaches. It looks 
like water, and certainly looks harmless, but there is 
many a " patent blonde " can tell you that to blondine the 
hair is a dearly bought beauty. I never knew of an 
instance where the hair, by its use, did not commence to 
fall out, if it was continued any length of time. Peroxide 
of hydrogen is to be had at all drug stores, being in 
common use for all purposes of bleaching. The hair 
should be washed first, and dried thoroughly; add some 
ammonia to the peroxide of hydrogen, and dilute the 
whole with water, much or little, according to your 

3 



34 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

ambition to become a " blondy blonde " or " half-tone. " 
Apply to the hair with a tooth-brush, taking up a furrow 
at a time, wetting it thoroughly from the root to the end. 
It is the only way to get it bleached evenly. Dipping 
the hair into the solution is very unsatisfactory. If, after 
one application, the hair is not light enough, try it again, 
and so on until the desired color is obtained. After the 
hair is once bleached, it will not go back to its original 
color, only as it grows from the roots. The bleach should 
be applied to the roots about once a week afterward, or 
as often as the hair becomes dark at the roots. When 
your ambition is satisfied, and hair of " golden hue" has 
lost its charm, then is the time a full realization of" he 
who dances must pay the fiddler " comes in. If the hair 
has not commenced to fall out, and cutting close to the 
head is a positive necessity, it is better to do so at once, 
otherwise the colors of Joseph's coat would be few in 
comparison with the colors the hairs of the head will 
take on in its struggles to get back to nature's color. 

A very old formula for bleaching the hair, and used 
by the Roman ladies, is this: 

1 qt. Ley made from Ashes of Fine Twigs. 
% oz. Briony. 

]/z oz. Celandine Roots. 
^ oz. Turmeric. 
4 drachms Saffron. 

2 drachms Lily Roots. 

I drachm Flowers of Mullein. 
I drachm Yellow Stechas. 
I drachm Broom. 
I drachm St. John's Root. 

Boil these ingredients together and strain. By wash- 
ing the hair frequently with this solution, " it will become 
a beautiful flaxen color." 



HAIR. 35 

There are many simple remedies that will lighten the 
hair several shades, such as exposing the hair to the sun, 
washing it frequently with soda, borax, ammonia, salts of 
tartar, or common bar soap. 

One of the finest hair tonics, if not the best one 
known, is this: 

i pt. High Wine. 

I pt. Water. 

I oz. Bear's Oil. 

By applying it to the scalp, it not only stops the hair 
falling out, almost at the first application, but it will restore 
gray hair to its natural color, and cause the hair to thicken. 

High wine is alcohol before it is distilled. Do not 
allow a druggist to give you poor whisky for high wine, 
as a great many will do. High wine can only be found 
at a distillery, and cannot be bought, as it is not stamped. 
Sometimes a distiller, out of the kindness of his heart, 
will give it to you. A gentleman of my acquaintance, 
nearly sixty-five, tells me he was quite bald at forty, and 
what hair he had was gray and lifeless. He commenced 
using this tonic, and has used it, more or less, from that 
time to this, and his hair is so luxuriant that some mem- 
bers of his own family accuse him of coloring it. 

Another hair stimulant is made from this recipe: 

I pt. Bay Rum. 

I drachm Tincture Cantharides. 

I oz. Castor Oil. 

I drachm Carbonate Ammonia. 

Mix well, and rub into the roots two or three times every 
week, until the hair ceases to fall. 

There is nothing more beautiful, no more refining to 
the face, than gray hair. A woman might be common- 



36 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

place in appearance naturally. Let her hair turn to a pure 
gray, or white, and she at once becomes elegant and dis- 
tinguished. And yet there are many that abhor the 
thought of " getting gray." It is better to color the hair 
with some harmless coloring matter, than it is to suffocate 
the scalp by wearing false hair. There are very few harm- 
less hair dyes, if a?zy. Probably the following is as free 
from harmful ingredients as any known: 

1 drachm Sugar of Lead. 

2 drachms Lac Sulphur. 

3 oz. Rosewater. 

Use every day once at least, until the hair resumes its 
natural color, after that, once in two weeks. 

Another simple hair dye is made from these ingredi- 
ents: 

2,^2 drachms Nitrate of Silver. 
3^ drachms Sulphur Potassium. 
2% drachms Rosewater. 
2j4, drachms Water. 

Be very careful, when applying this solution, not to get it 
on the scalp. Apply with a fine-tooth comb. 

Honey wash is a popular lotion for the hair, and is 
made from the following: 

1 drachm Essence of Ambergris. 
i drachm Essence of Musk. 

2 drachms Essence of Bergamot. 
15 drops Oil of Cloves. 

4 oz. Orange Flower Water. 

5 oz. Spirits of Wine. 
4 oz. Distilled Water. 

Brushing the hair thoroughly and often is nature's 
restorer. It is positively necessary, otherwise all washes, 
tonics or stimulants, will prove a dismal failure. 



A BEAUTIFUL FORM. 37 

A BEAUTIFUL FORM. 

Nature intended the " human form divine " to be 
very much the same in all women. In the first few years 
of every woman's life there is a striking similarity. Upon 
reaching womanhood, individual tastes, different modes of 
living and careless habits have produced some wonderful 
transformations. And " who shall decide when doctors 
disagree " as to what is a beautiful form? It may be a 
matter of individual tastes; it may be a desire to possess 
something we have not; possibly the short, dumpy style 
admired so much by French gentlemen is the correct 
idea, or the straight, lithe figure of Italian beauties. But, 
whether it be short or tall, slender or plump, it must be 
symmetrical. 

There must be a taper to the waist, a taper to the 
wrist, a taper to the ankle. There must be flesh enough 
to hide the foundation of the human frame, and muscle 
enough to round out the hollows. Without doubt the 
foundation to a beautiful form should be laid in childhood, 
but the exercise and out-door life that develops muscle 
and gives firmness to the flesh in childhood is just as 
necessary in womanhood, in order to retain those charms. 
What is, then, more beautiful than a straight, lithe, supple 
figure, where every move is perfect grace? Be'auty itself 
can be summed up in a slender, graceful figure, knowing 
how to dress it, knowing how to carry the head, and know- 
ing how to zvalk. Any exercise, such as rowing, riding 
horseback, skating, fencing, cycling, and using dumb- 
bells, will improve and perfect the figure. To learn how 
to carry the head, practice walking (in the secrecy of your 
own chamber) with a book balanced upon it. If you are 
observing, you will notice the grandeur there is, even in 



38 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

the carriage of an Italian rag-picker, as she walks along 
the gutter, with her bag of rags on her head. The head 
should be " well set," and this can be acquired, to a great 
extent. Carry it at all times as if you were balancing 
something upon it. That does not mean, however, to 
carry the neck as if you were trying to digest an iron rod. 
The neck should be well hinged — that is, always ready 
to turn the head, independently of the body. How few 
there are that understand the grace and strength of this 
movement! One of the finest pieces of acting I ever saw 
on the stage — sometimes we see fine acting off the stage 
— was expressed by a slow turning of the head, with the 
body immovable, as if carved of stone. It is said the 
greatest charm of our American young ladies — whose 
beauty has been appreciated and raved over, more par- 
ticularly in London and Paris society, than in our own 
country — is simply in the magnificent carriage of the 
head. She is quoted as having the " air of an hundred 
princesses." In walking, the body should be inclined 
slightly forward, from the waist up, the lower stomach or 
abdomen drawn in, and, according to the " dress 
reformers," this throws the lower part of the back out, and 
forms a natural bustle. 

There is nothing more admired nor more desired than a 
fine, symmetrically curved figure, and yet we are all such 
creatures of habit. We lounge, we sit on our feet, we 
stand with our weight thrown on one foot, which, of 
course, has the effect of making one hip larger than the 
other — and we imagine all of these things add to our 
comfort, and give us rest ! They not only cause exhaus- 
tion, but actually cause deformities, Learn how to sit, 
stand and walk with the spine in a straight line and head 



A BEAUTIFUL FORM. 39 

up, as if you felt, or believed with Monte Cristo, that the 
" world " is yours, and never, at any time, allow a limp- 
ness to take possession of you. In a short time you will 
discover the old tired feeling is a thing of the past. 

After acquiring an easy, graceful carriage, and walk- 
ing with a stride from the hip without swaying the body 
or bending the knee more than is positively necessary, the 
next step toward acquiring a beautiful form comes in the 
matter of dress. Most women wear too much clothing. 
The symmetry of the figure is destroyed and hidden by 
the many skirts, bands and gathers surrounding the waist. 
Without intending any particular indorsement of the differ- 
ent " fads " in dress reform, there would be more women 
noticeable for their lovely figures if they would dress with 
the idea of showing off the curves of the body. This can 
be accomplished by wearing Jersey underwear, fewer 
skirts, or none at all, and adopting only the styles of drap- 
ing that display the figure to the best advantage. Jersey 
underwear comes in all materials, from heavy wool to the 
finest silk, and, being elastic, it fits to the skin without a 
wrinkle. If the preconceived idea of the necessity of 
skirts will not admit of the abandoning of these altogether, 
wear one of some material that can be laundered without 
starch. (Starch, thank goodness, is* no longer consid- 
ered au fait.) 

If the question of warmth comes up, that difficulty 
is obviated by the texture of the close-fitting underwear. 
In going without any skirts at all — the effect of which is 
very artistic with the right style of dress drapery — the 
question of modesty sometimes arises. One lecturer on 
" dress reform " said, when the question came up of 
how it would look when the wind was blowing: " It 



40 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

would look as if we had legs, " and added, " it is no more 
immodest than is dressing to show the curves of the 
bust." It is no more immodest, and certainly it is more 
graceful, and better for the health, than carrying around a 
weight of clothing hanging from the waist or shoulders. 
An essential part of dressing to show the unbroken 
lines or curves of the figure, is a well-fitting corset. The 
corset should be soft and pliable, made of good material, 
and fitted to the figure. French ladies are very particular 
about the matter of corsets. They consider it economy 
to invest in the highest priced corsets at all times. A 
man dressmaker, formerly from the other side, says: 
" French women and American women dispute the palm 
of being the best dressers in the whole world, but there is 
a secret which has not found its way across the broad 
Atlantic, and, until it is mastered, the wreath of victory 
must remain on the other side. A French woman wears 
a fifty dollar dress and a fifteen dollar corset. An Amer- 
ican woman wears a two hundred dollar dress and a two 
dollar and a-half corset." It is better to spend less for 
the dress, and more for the corset. The higher priced 
corsets are free from starch; free from the " stiff steel " 
which the various warriors against corsets bring up as 
being so injurious to the stomach. The steels used are 
of the best quality, and are soft and pliable. The other 
materials being of finer quality, the corset retains its shape 
until worn out. 

If too much flesh or not enough interfere with the 
figure, these defects, with a little pluck and energy, can be 
remedied. Within a very recent date a popular actress 
by her indomitable will has reduced her flesh, or weight, 
from 197 pounds to 135, and expects to get to 125. An 



A BEAUTIFUL FORM. 4 1 

Eastern physician has been the lucky discoverer or com- 
pounder of a medicine that has the effect of destroying 
the appetite. The only nourishment taken by this lady 
for thirty days was the juice of two oranges, and this 
medicine three times daily. This method of reducing 
flesh is severe treatment, and few women have constitu- 
tions that would warrant their experimenting in this 
manner. Fleshy women are seldom rugged and strong. 
Too much flesh is a disease, and its causes can be traced 
easily. In most instances it can be " simmered down " to 
self-indulgence, taking too good care of yourself, and 
humoring all one's inclinations. It is pleasanter to sit at 
home in a comfortable chair than it is to go out and take 
a stirring walk, particularly if the day or weather is not 
propitious. It is gratifying to indulge in the dishes that 
please the appetite, and generally dishes that please the 
appetite of a woman inclined to rotundity are the very 
things she ought not to eat, but other things disagree 
with her stomach, and what shall she do? The first step 
toward reducing flesh is to determine fully to sacrifice 
yourself. You must compel yourself to do certain things 
whether you have the inclination or not. It was petting 
yourselves too much that piled up the flesh, and only the 
reverse of such treatment will scatter the billows. Daily 
exercise is the first step, a walk in the morning, and 
again at night. Do not make the mistake of walking too 
far at first, the distance must be gradually increased. 
It is better to dress very warmly, uncomfortably so, cover 
the fleshy parts with layers of flannel, and walk until 
dripping with perspiration. Upon returning, and before 
the perspiration is absorbed by the skin, sponge off in 
salt water, a handful of rock salt or sea salt to a bowl of 



42 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

water. Turkish bathing is excellent to reduce flesh if you 
do not indulge in drinking water through the bath. It 
will add to flesh to drink water in the Turkish bath, and 
reduces it when abstaining. 

A concoction made from the following is said to re- 
duce flesh and improve the complexion at the same time: 

I oz. Cream of Tartar. 

I oz. Sulphur. 

I pt. Holland Gin. 

Take one tablespoonful night and morning. Shake 
well. 

In reducing flesh, it is essential to eat as little as pos- 
sible, and not indulge in any food that has a tendency to 
make flesh. A lady of my acquaintance reduced her 
weight very materially in three months by confining her- 
self almost entirely to bread without butter, and beefsteak 
(broiled). Bread is nourishing, and beefsteak makes muscle 
instead of flesh. Eating a few grains of coffee is said to 
deaden the appetite. Claret should be the only wine or 
stimulant used. 

Physical exercise should become a daily duty to oneself, 
even after the desired reduction in weight has gladdened 
the heart of the seeker. Using dumb-bells is probably as 
satisfactory an exercise as any, and the effect is soonest 
seen. The use of them brings every muscle of the body 
into action, and makes the flesh firm and natural. They 
should be used under the guidance of a teacher until the 
difficult motions are understood, and used regularly from 
five to fifteen minutes night and morning. 

Dumb-bells are just as beneficial for those desirous of 
adding to their weight. The use of them will develop 
and round out the arms as nothing else will. Exercise is 



DEVELOPING THE BUST. 43 

■as important a factor in adding to the weight as in redu- 
cing the flesh, but different food should be eaten. Any- 
thing that " grows in the ground " makes flesh, and milk 
is particularly excellent in filling out the tissues. Drink two 
or three quarts a day, if possible. Beer is recommended 
sometimes, but it makes poor flesh, and is injurious to the 
delicate fibers of the stomach. 

DEVELOPING THE BUST. 

Our markets are full of so-called wonderful discoveries 
for developing the bust. There is no medical " discovery" 
that will produce this result, if nature has been retarded 
by different causes, such as wearing pads, thereby exclud- 
ing the air, and compressing the tissues, from lack of 
exercise, a melancholy disposition, ill-health or jealousy ', 
A treatment exactly the reverse of all this is the first 
thing to be considered. Drink plenty of milk and cream, 
sleep as much as possible, and bathe the breasts with 
cold water, by throwing it against them upon rising in' 
the morning, rubbing them carefully afterward with coarse 
towels. It is necessary to start the circulation in the 
veins, and bring the muscles into action. Great care 
should be taken that there is no harshness in rubbing the 
breasts. Serious results have followed the slightest bruise 
upon this delicate network of tissues, veins and channels. 
In rubbing, rub upward, never down. Dumb-bells are 
particularly beneficial and successful as " bust developers. " 
They are safe and more satisfactory than any other rem- 
edy, in starting the circulation in the tissues and channels 
that have been lying dormant. According to the state- 
ment of some physicians, it is the only method that can 



44 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

be guaranteed to produce any change. A systematic use 
of the bells, with the proper motions and the shower-bath 
of cold water, will repay the effort in three weeks' time. 
If the bust has become flabby through sickness, or any 
other cause, a wash made from the following, and applied 
night and morning, will prove beneficial: 

^ oz. Alum Water. 

1 oz. strong Chamomile Water. 

2 oz. White Brandy. 

TEETH. 

The prettiest face loses its charm without the addi- 
tion of sweet, clean teeth, yet sound, good teeth are sel- 
dom appreciated to the extent of giving them the care and 
attention they should have in order to preserve them. 
The mouth should always be rinsed after eating, and can- 
not be rinsed too often. Too much brushing, however, is 
injurious to the enamel. The teeth should onlybe brushed 
twice a day, and then with a brush that does not irritate 
the gums. Castile soap, the pure white dental soap, is 
good for the teeth, but there are very few tooth powders 
but what are more or less injurious. Charcoal is an 
excellent thing for the teeth. It sweetens the breath, and 
removes tartar. Pumice stone (powdered) in a little 
alcohol, applied with a small pine stick sharpened for the 
purpose, will remove discolorations. 

The mouth must be rinsed thoroughly often, using 
pumice stone, or the gritty substance will injure the 
enamel of the teeth. A good wash for rinsing the mouth, 
is made with one drop of carbolic acid in a wine-glass of 
water. 

In using the brush, do not rub it across the teeth. 



TEETH. — HANDS. 45 

As a constant dropping will wear away the hardest stone, 
so will the frequent rubbing wear away the enamel and 
leave furrows. The teeth should be brushed lengthwise, 
instead of across. 

Once in three months the teeth should be examined 
by a competent physician, and, if the smallest cavity is 
found, it should be filled at once. In this way the teeth 
can be preserved to good old age — will probably last as 
long as we need them. An excellent wash for purifying 
the mouth and hardening the gums, is made with the 
addition of a little borax to a wine-glass of water. 

HANDS. 

There is nothing daintier, nothing more " kissable" 
than a delicate white hand, and it is particularly so when 
attached to a small wrist. It' may not be within every 
woman's power to have a small wrist, but a white, attract- 
ive hand is within the reach of every one. 

It is first necessary that the skin be in perfect condi- 
tion. An indispensable preparation for keeping the skin 
toned up is the glycerine and rosewater lotion given in 
the chapter on bathing and toilet waters. 

It should be used as often as the hands are washed, 
and just before using the towel. Care should be taken 
that the hands are not chilled in cold water. Warm water 
has a tendency to whiten the hands, because of the per- 
spiration caused by the heat. This same effect can be 
produced in the winter time by wearing rubber gloves. 
Sleep in them, and wear them in attending to household 
duties. Another excellent remedy for producing perspi- 
ration is a cream containing camphor. The following 



46 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

recipe makes a cream used very successfully by a lady- 
noted for white hands: 

I oz. Olive Oil. 

^ oz. Camphor Gum. 

Dissolve in the oil. 

Add 
I oz. White Wax. 
I oz. Spermaceti, 
i oz. Nut Oil. 

Melt together and beat to a cream. Bathe the hands 
with hot water and pure soap. Dry thoroughly. While 
the skin is active from the rubbing, take a little of the 
cream in the palm of the hands, and rub them thoroughly 
with it for ten minutes, until the cream is nearly absorbed, 
and then put on a pair ot kid gloves, two or three sizes 
too large, and sleep in them. Repeating this process for 
one week will cause a remarkable transformation. Lemon 
juice is also good for whitening and making the hands as 
smooth as satin. In bathing the hands, take a few drops 
and rub over the skin while they are wet with the soap 
and water. The lemon juice cuts the alkali, and leaves 
only the oil in the soap, which softens the skin, and the 
acid removes stains caused by exposure. 

Oatmeal and cornmeal are both excellent, for whiten- 
ing the hands. Either one of these should be used in the 
same manner as the lemon juice. Sleeping in cosmetic 
gloves is probably the most satisfactory way of making 
the hands white and delicate. 

Every one can have beautiful finger-nails by paying 
a little attention to the art of manicuring, and the home- 
liest hand is made attractive by clean, polished, well- 
shaped finger-nails. To keep the nails in good condition 
it is necessary to use a hand brush in bathing the hands, 




LILIAN RUSSELL. 



HANDS. 47 

and always brush the nails vigorously. Never cut them 
with knife or scissors, but use a nail file instead; cutting 
the nails makes them brittle, and liable to break with the 
slightest knock. The skin around the nail should be 
pushed back to prevent the growth of hang-nails, and to 
allow the crescent at the base of the nail to be seen, which 
adds greatly to its beauty. If the nails have been long 
neglected, it will be well to soak the ends of the fingers in 
hot water, and then trim up the ragged edges of skin. 
File the nails into shape, and use a " polisher " made of 
chamois skin. Polishers can be found in all drug stores 
if you are not the possessor of a manicure set. To give 
the nails an extra polish a powder should be used with 
the polisher. A good powder is made from the following: 

i oz. pure Oxide of Zinc. 

No. 49 Carmine (enough to tint). 

Perfumed with Jockej Club and Oil of Orange. 

One of fashion's fancies is to trim the finger-nails to 
a sharp point. It destroys the symmetry of the hand, 
and gives the nail a striking resemblance to a claw. The 
nail should be trimmed the shape of the finger end, and 
it should be just the length of the finger; if there is any 
difference, a trifle short is in better taste. Well kept finger- 
nails are emblematic of innate refinement, whether seen on 
the queen of the parlor or on the queen of the kitchen. 
Another sign of the lady is a well-gloved hand. 

A lady should never go upon the street without her 
hands being incased in well-fitting gloves. They should 
be adjusted and buttoned with the same care and attention 
as is given the bonnet or hat, and before leaving the house. 
Hair becomingly dressed, a pretty hat or bonnet, hands 
encased in neat gloves, and dainty shoes, constitute an 



48 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

elegantly dressed woman, almost regardless »f the style, 
or the cost of material of other garments. 

SHOES. 

It must be that some one wishing to advertise an un- 
salable shoe got up the sensation about " common sense " 
shoes. The scheme is laid bare when it is asserted that 
no other style of shoe should be worn, " all other shoes 
being injurious to health, and worn only by those careless 
alike of health and reputation." The "common sense" 
shoe is the style of shoe that must necessarily be worn — 
when it is the only style that fts the foot. It will fit com- 
fortably only those having a broad, flat foot of low instep. 
A lady with an arched foot and high instep would suffer 
as much in " breaking in " a " common sense " shoe, as 
would a lady with a broad, flat foot suffer in trying to 
wear a " Spanish arched " shoe. Comfortable shoes are 
those that fit the foot perfectly. A shoe perfectly fitted, 
touches and supports every part of the foot. A new shoe 
is just as comfortable as an old shoe, if it is fitted as it 
should be. It is a mistake to seek comfort in a shoe 
larger than the foot. The shoe must not be large enough 
for the foot to slip around, or corns, nature's enemy, will 
be the result. 

DRESS AND COLOR. 

Ladies dressed in mourning always have the appear- 
ance of being elegantly dressed. It is not because black 
is richer, more harmonious, nor in all cases more becom- 
ing. It is because of the unbroken line of color. In 
walking down a crowded thoroughfare we meet compara- 
tively few elegantly dressed women; and yet one sees all 
the colors and materials known to the manufacturer or 



DRESS AND COLOR. 49 

artist. To be dressed in perfect taste, a lady should have 
the same " tone " predominate from head to foot. The 
fault of a picture is the atmosphere the artist has thrown 
into it. He could not have a cool, gray morning tint in 
one part of the picture and the colors of a warm sunset in 
another part. The same tone of color must pervade the 
entire canvas, or it will be a failure. And it should be 
the same in a lady's street costume. Individual tastes and 
fancies may be petted in house dresses, but on the street, 
hat, dress and gloves should be the same color, regardless 
of passing fashions. Colors, unless studied carefully, are 
disastrous in effect. Tints should be. avoided, unless the 
wearer possesses high color. Black, white and rich dark 
colors are becoming to all complexions. One is always 
well dressed in black, and every lady should have a plain 
black silk in her wardrobe. It is suitable for " mill and 
meeting." To be particularly well dressed it is better to 
have two, one for " mill," and another for " meeting." 
White is generally becoming. Care should be taken in 
selecting it, however. Never wear blue-white near the 
face. A yellow-white has the effect of making the face 
look fair, while blue-white will give it a decidedly sallow 
appearance. A fleshy person should avoid all light colors, 
and black that has a decided luster, such as black satin; it 
will magnify the size, while black without much luster 
will make one look a third smaller in comparison. 

It is every woman's duty to have bright, beautiful 
house dresses. In these one's fancy can run wild. 

As long as the costume is artistic, beautiful dresses 
for one's home should be the study of every mother, wife 
or sister. In house dresses there is great opportunity for 
artistic dressing. The most brilliant colors are permissi- 



50 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

ble at home, and drapery that would be decidedly bizarre 
on the street, is elegant and graceful in the parlor. The 
consciousness of being becomingly and artistically dressed 
brightens up the countenance wonderfully. Sometimes 
changing from common apparel to a beautiful tea gown 
will cure actual indisposition. I fancy I see an incredu- 
lous smile — but a lady of my acquaintance resorts to this 
as a never-failing remedy. Aside from all this, the home 
pictures should be made the strongest influences thrown 
around husband, brother and child. The memory of these 
bright home scenes will cheer the pathway of a weary 
plodder through life. 

PERFUMES. 
To use powerful, strong perfumes is the quintessence 
of vulgarity and coarseness, but there is nothing more 
fascinating, refined and irresistible, and suggestive of 
" moonlight, music, love and flowers," than a sweet, deli- 
cate, faint odor, that is gone almost as soon as it is noticed. 
Have your favorite odor, and never use but the one. 
Purchase the finest extract of some flowers, and use but a 
small quantity. A better way is to have innumerable 
sachet bags, filled with cotton and perfume powder, and 
kept in the dresser, in the closets, and in your trunks. An 
elegant perfume for a sachet bag is made from the follow- 
ing ingredients: 

i oz. Heliotrope Powder. 

20 grains pure Musk (grain musk). 

A fine perfume is made by mixing Jockey Club and 
White Rose in equal parts, and adding a very little Musk 
(Lubin's). Use Lubin's Jockey Club and Wright's White 

Rose. 

A dainty handkerchief is an indispensable accessory 



PERFUMES. 51 

to a lady's toilet. Do not put perfume directly on the 
handkerchief. It is better to keep your handkerchiefs in 
a delicately scented case. 

Eau de Cologne, Bay Rum, and Florida Water are 
necessary adjuncts to the toilet table. Powder, also, is 
almost an essential. There are times when a lady, in jus- 
tice to herself, should dust a fine powder over the face, as 
in cases of the " shine" that accompanies an oily skin. A 
flannel cloth and a little powder remove the dirt and dust of 
the street, and they are much better than using too much 
water upon the face. Almond meal is an excelle t sub- 
stitute for powder, and is the only powder used by some 
of the most beautiful women. It must be used when the 
face is perfectly free from moisture, otherwise it will fill 
up the pores of the skin, and cause sallowness. 




DINING. 



By Kinsley's, Chicago. 



This is a wonderful age for advising and correcting. 
If people go wrong in these days, it is not for want of plenty 
of counsel. We do things no longer by the card, but by 
the book. But if the housewife, filled with a laudable 
desire to be " correct," should consult the books as to the 
proper number of invitations to her next dinner, for 
instance, she would find herself involved in a maze of con- 
tradictions. 

In this country fourteen seems to be the orthodox 
number. It may be stated, however, that it will almost 
invariably be found true that a party few in number is 
more pleasant and agreeable than a large one. At an 
afternoon tea eight ladies will be found more congenial 
than sixteen. It is, of course, taken for granted that 
quarrelsome and ill-natured people are not to be invited 
under any circumstances. 

Emerson said one of the main objects of all the dif- 
ferent modes of civilization is to bring a number of con- 
genial and agreeable people together at dinner, but he 
does not tell us how to dispose of the other variety, the 
man who grumbles through a dinner in a state of chronic 
sulkiness, or the woman who makes uncomplimentary 
remarks sotto voce to the right and left. 

Formal dinner invitations, during the season, should 



DINING. 53 

be sent out from ten days to two weeks in advance. To 
send them out three or four weeks in advance signifies an 
excessive formality, which should be scrupulously avoided. 
Of course, in the great social centers, necessity compels 
the issuance of invitations long before the event, but 
there is no occasion for it in most American cities. 

The invitation should be either written or engraved. 
The lady who is a frequent dinner-giver has engraved 
invitation cards at hand, with the space for the name of 
the guest left in blank, so that it may be inserted with 
pen and ink. At particularly formal affairs the name of 
the guest is engraved. The invitation should be made 
in the name of both host and hostess. The following is 
the usual form: 

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Johnstone 

request the pleasure of Mr. and Mrs. John Barnard's company at dinner, on 

Thursday, December tenth, at seven o'clock. 

The answer should be addressed to the hostess only. 
An invitation should be answered as soon as received. 
If an accident prevents the attendance of a guest who 
has already signified his intention of being present, no 
time should be lost in notifying the hostess, that she may 
supply the vacancy. No gentleman should ever be 
invited without his wife when other ladies than those of 
the family are expected. 

The dinner hour should not be earlier than six, not 
later than eight. Full evening costume is required. 

One should be careful to not invite those, whatever 
the party numbers, who are known not to be on good 
terms with each other. History shows that a Dr. John- 
son and a Wilkes are not a joint dinner party success. 
Get " talking men," Too much talk is better than not 



54 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

enough, at a dinner. Cultivate the person who has the 
splendid audacity to talk across the table. Try to show 
people out. To be correct is not necessarily to be stiff. 
Study to make your guests happy. Encourage uncon- 
ventionality if you see your party beginning to freeze. 

It is the quiet little dinners which are the perfection 
of social life. It is said that the number present at these 
dinners should not be less than the Graces, nor more than 
the Muses. There is perhaps some truth in this. Con- 
versation cannot be general or quite unrestrained where 
the company exceeds eight or ten. In a party of twenty, 
one is restricted to the right and left-hand neighbors and 
the guest opposite. The caution as to the selection of 
guests applies with especial force to a small party, in 
that they should certainly be people of analogous tastes. 
The great object is to pair amiable, pleasant and agreeable 
men with pleasant and agreeable women. A good talker 
is a great acquisition, but good listeners are not less essen- 
tial. Your good talker should be an urbane and polite 
man, not a bumptious, underbred one. Unfortunately 
we all have to deal with the latter variety, but we are 
under no obligations to invite them to our dinners. 

In asking people to dinner, you should put to yourself 
the question, "Why do I ask them?" and, unless the 
answer be satisfactory, they are not likely to contribute 
much to the agreeability and sociality of the entertain- 
ment. They may be ornamental; it may be necessary, in 
a give-and-take sense, to have them in return for a dinner 
already long received and digested, but, unless they are 
sensible, social, unaffected, and clever, they are not likely 
to contribute their share of the entertainment's hilarity. 
You may ask a man who is a bon vivant, a raconteur, 






DINING. - 55 

because he talks well, is distinguished, or because he is 
that best of all things, a "jolly good fellow." But ask 
no one, however much above the average, who is a 
prig, pretentious, disputatious, or underbred. 

It is to be recommended that exactly the same circle 
of guests should not be ranged about a dinner-table on 
successive occasions. This, of course, does not apply to 
those parties of friends where the number is not too large 
to preclude companionship — in such cases previous 
acquaintance is but an added charm — but to the regula- 
tion affairs which constantly need the element of novelty. 
Variety is not only a spice, but an essential. 

If the object of dining be to secure the greatest 
quantity of health and enjoyment, such results are more 
likely to be attained at small than at set and formal affairs 
where people are kept in " stately durance." Yet it is this 
dull, comfortless, stately and ostentatious formality that 
every one is striving for. It should not be under- 
stood that it is necessary for enjoyment to abolish 
any of the true customs and etiquette of dining, but they 
should not be amplified and enlarged upon to the verge of 
personal discomfort. Everything savoring of too much 
state and over-display should be discarded. 

The old-time fashion of evincing hospitality by 
crowding the table with a great number of heavily laden 
dishes, is rapidly disappearing. The dishes should be 
choice rather than unlimited in number, and the wines 
remarkable for excellence rather than variety. It is the 
exquisite quality of a dinner or wine that pleases us, not 
the number of dishes or number of vintages. Do not 
try to vie with your neighbor of greater means than your- 
self. Modesty is ever a peerless virtue. Too often we 



56 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

see ostentation without ease, elegance, good breeding or 
good taste, and the parvenu too frequently appears in all 
his disagreeable hideousness and self-sufficiency. It would 
be far better if people of moderate means attempted less. 

No kind of drink should be taken just before eating, 
for simple physiological reasons. After the oysters a 
glass of Chablis, Barsac, Sauternes or Hock may be taken. 
The Sauternes are as good as any. White wine taken 
with oysters agrees better than any red wine. It is freer 
from essential oils, and contains little tannin. Spanish, 
Portuguese and Italian wines as a rule contain too much 
alcohol for oysters. With the soup serve a Sherry or 
Madeira. Either of these wines stimulates and accelerates 
digestion. The best Sherry is Amontillado, very dry and 
light in color. It sells for much more than any other 
Sherry. 

With the fish comes a Sauterne, Hock or White Bur- 
gundy. Too much care cannot be exercised in procuring 
good claret. A large proportion of the wine sold in this 
country is merely vin ordijiaire, or secondary wine. The 
prime growths fall far short of the demand which prevails 
for these wines all over the world. The best red Burgundy 
is the Romanee Conti, and the best white the Montrachet. 
But good vintage of Pomard, Volnay, Nuits and Cham- 
bertin are excellent. Burgundy, however, is a wine of 
which only a small quantity should be drank, as it is very 
heating. The very best clarets are Chateau Lafitte, Cha- 
teau Margaux, Chateau Latour, and Haut Brion. The 
second class of claret wines is composed of the Mouton- 
Rothschild, Rauzan, Leoville, Durfort, Gruand-Larose, 
Brane, Pichon-Longueville, and Cos d'Estournle Even, 
these bring fancy prices. Lower in the scale comes 



DINING. 57 

Chateau d'Issan, Margaux, Ferriere, St. Julien. The 
wine of first quality, when mature, ought to have a beau- 
tiful color, much firmness, a very agreeable bouquet, and a 
flavor which embalms the mouth, strength without being 
intoxicating, and body without harshness. The Burgun- 
dies, contrary to the generality of French wines, are im- 
proved by a sea voyage. 

With the roast serve a claret, Burgundy or Cham- 
pagne. These wines may also be served with game, 
Claret preferable. Champagne, unlike Burgundy or 
Claret, is a wine always improved by ice. The chief char- 
acteristic is its exquisite delicacy of flavor. There is no 
difficulty in securing a fairly good Champagne. In this 
country one can choose from four or five popular brands, 
any of which are good. It should always be served very 
cold; never higher than forty degrees. Ice must never be 
put in the wine, but packed around the bottle. Cham- 
pagne f rappee is exquisite and refreshing. This is made 
by freezing the wine in the bottle with ice and salt packed 
around it until it has the consistency of snow. Some sort 
of punch may be served after the roast, such as Victoria, 
Cardinal, Kirsch or Roman. With the entrees come 
Champagne, Claret or Burgundy. 

Serve a Champagne with the salad. Wine is not 
essential with the dessert, though perhaps a good Hunga- 
rian might be given. The Tokay is exquisite. In France 
Malmsey and Malaga wines are offered usually, and in 
England the white and red Constantia and Frontignan 
are frequently produced. 

Before the fruits, nuts and raisins are brought on, 
small cups for coffee should be passed. 

While not under the head of wines, a slight digression 



58 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

may be pardoned for a word about coffee. For three cen- 
turies a more delightful, innoxious, or exhilarating bev- 
erage has not been brought to light. In extreme heat or 
cold, no drink for steady use compares with it. But it is 
not justly appreciated, and for good reason — nine cases 
in ten it is improperly made. The Turks, who easily bear 
the palm as coffee-makers, do not grind the berry in a 
mill; they pound it to a powder in mortars. Housewives 
or careless servants are prone to either grind the coffee 
too coarsely, or, worse still, buy it ready ground, in which 
case the aroma is likely to have totally evaporated. The 
fact is, the finer coffee is ground the better it is, and it 
ought to be ground immediately before use. Then, the 
berry should be roasted, not burnt. If you want perfect 
coffee, remove the berry from the fire the moment it 
crackles, and wrap it in several folds of flannel to cool. 
This preserves the essential oil. When it is cool, place it 
in an air-tight canister. Sufficient for the day should be 
the coffee thereof. In France they usually make coffee 
a Dubelloy, which consists in pouring boiling water on 
coffee placed in a porcelain or silver vase pierced with 
small holes. This is poured off, heated to boiling point, 
and passed through again. The result is coffee as clear 
and exquisite as any one could wish for. A full-sized 
teaspoonful of coffee should be allowed for each guest in 
making the small after-dinner cup of coffee. 

With the fruits many families introduce some old 
Madeira, but it is not an essential. After which, the cof- 
fee, very hot. Any liqueurs may be served, according to 
one's judgment. 

It may not be generally known that there is no 
alcoholic neutralizer more potent than coffee. 



DINING. 59 

The order in which wines may be served is, like the 
character and arrangement of the menu, capable of infinite 
variety, but the directions just given will answer under 
any circumstances. For convenience the following is 
subjoined: 

Raw Oysters — Sauternes, Hock, Chablis. 
Soup — Sherry or Madeira. 
Fish — White Burgundy, Sauternes, Hock. 
Roast — Burgundy, Claret. 

Kirsch, Victoria, Cardinal or Roman Punch. 
Entrees — Champagne or Claret. 
Game — Champagne or Burgundy. 
Salad — Champagne. 

Dessert — If any wine, Hungarian, Port or Madeira. 
Coffee, Liqueurs, Cognac. 

The greatest attention must be paid to the tempera- 
ture of the wine. Much depends on it not being too 
warm or too cold. Champagne must always be served 
cold, and the colder the better. Never put ice in any 
wine. If coldness is desired, pack salt and ice around the 
bottle. 

Chablis, Sauternes, Chateau Yquem, or other white 
wines with a body, should be made considerably cooler 
than the room where they are served. Sherry should be 
kept in a dry, cool place, and drunk at the natural temper- 
ature, or a trifle cooler. Clarets are generally served at 
the temperature of the room, and Burgundy a trifle 
warmer. Some people like their Burgundy quite warm. 
In this case wrap it in flannel near a range. This also 
applies to the Bordeaux. Sherry and Rhine wines should 
be served cold. 

In serving wines only fill the glasses about three- 
fourths full. It is not in good taste to exceed this, and 
it will prevent the soiling of dresses and the spilling of 
wine on the table. 



60 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Remember always that the main point to be con- 
sidered in selecting wines, is their quality. This is a 
matter not only important to the palate but to the health 
of the consumer, especially in these times of chemical 
adulteration. Buy your wines of a merchant of position, 
one of acknowledged character and integrity, and you 
will stand a fair chance of getting a good article, although 
you may pay what is called a long price for it. The 
average man of to-day cannot be expected to devote 
himself to the study of wines, and it is certain that unless 
he gives his days and nights to it he will have to rely on 
the honesty of the merchant. 

And now a word to those who are fortunate enough 
to be able to keep a considerable quantity of wine at 
home. A great deal of wine, good and middling, is 
spoiled beyond redemption by being deposited in bad cel- 
lars. Many people never give a thought as to where their 
wine is kept. Yet this is a matter of essential importance, 
if the master of a household consults his own health or the 
health of his guests. 

A wine cellar should be neither too hot nor too cold. 
It should not be near the kitchen nor the laundry. It 
should not be exposed to changes of temperature. The 
fine and more delicate wines grow ropy, sharp or turbid 
when stowed away in unfitting locations. Light wines 
require a colder cellar than the strong wines, but, as a gen- 
eral direction, the temperature of a cellar ought to be 
about fifty to sixty-five degrees. The situation should be 
low and dry. Ventilation is a necessity. All wines, 
especially Champagne, should be closely laid on laths, and 
never placed on their bottoms, as from this cause the wine 
will speedily loose its effervescence. 



DINING. 6l 

BREAKFAST, LUNCHEON, TEA AND FAMILY DINNERS. 

Air your dining-rooms. The girl should be in- 
structed to open the windows and close the doors of the 
dining-room the first thing in the morning. Five min- 
utes' contact with the sweet morning air will effectually 
dissipate all disagreeable odors caused by the closing of 
the room during the night. 

The breakfast table may be covered with a white 
cloth or a colored one. The latter may be any one of a 
hundred varieties. But the dinner table-cloth must always 
be white. For breakfast, dainty colored doilies are pref- 
erable, as well as at luncheon or tea. The only napkin 
allowed by fashion for the more formal dinner, however, 
is the large damask, hemmed. For the lighter meals, 
bright touches of color are to be desired. For luncheon, 
it is not essential that any table-cloth be used, particularly 
if you have for a dining table one with a hard polished 
top. Large fringed napkins may be spread at each 
plate. 

The dining-room should always be curtained with 
some such material as Swiss muslin or the more expensive 
China silk. The light should never be brilliant, but sub- 
dued. If the scene from the dining-room windows is a 
disagreeable one, care should be taken to always draw 
the curtains at meal-time. 

There is much discussion as to the changing of nap- 
kins. Some decry napkin-rings, because it is proper, 
they say, that a clean napkin be served to each person 
at every meal. For any family, however well to do, this 
is an entirely unnecessary expense. To say nothing of 
the fearful laundry bills this entails and the number of 
napkins necessary to keep in stock, the extra trouble is 



62 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

too burdensome not to be avoided if possible. Besides, 
it does not pay to laundry good napkins so frequently. 
To change napkins once a day is amply often. Sparing 
accidents, a napkin may be used two or three times with- 
out becoming noticeably soiled. However, the matter is 
purely discretionary. 

Always try to have flowers on the table. Even a 
little bunch of nosegays or daisies will brighten things 
wonderfully. For dinner they are almost a necessity, 
created by fashion, and there are still better reasons for 
the morning meal. Most people come to the breakfast 
table with listlessness and jaded appetites. They wouldn't 
be so if they had gotten up an hour or two before and 
taken a brisk two-mile walk, but they haven't. So the 
dining-room, the breakfast table and its appurtenances 
cannot look too inviting. 

A butter plate, goblet or tumbler and a salt-cellar 
should be at each plate. If individual salt-cellars are not 
used, a cruet or the modern " shaker" should be placed 
at each corner of the table. The big, ungainly caster in 
the center of the table is out of date. Do not place the 
tumblers bottom end up. It is an obsolete custom, and 
one which never had a foundation in reason. If it was 
done to avoid the accumulation of dust, the same would 
apply with equal force to everything on the table. 

The knife should be placed at the right of each plate, 
with the edge laid toward it — the fork on the left side. 
The napkin is placed on the left. 

The tea tray is set in front of the mistress. The 
butter, ice and cream should already be on the table. 
The same arrangement answers for the lunch and tea 




LILA CAVANAUGH. 



DINING. 63 

table, except that for tea a white cloth is in the best 
taste. 

Every housewife should strive for those deft touches 
which distinguish the home dining table from the board- 
ing house. It costs no more to make things bright and 
cheery than otherwise. 

Would a wife be pleased to see her Benedict saun- 
ter down to the breakfast table with unshaven face, no 
coat or waistcoat, and a soiled shirt ? But many a wife 
presents herself in even less inviting array. Don't sit at 
breakfast with hair in curling papers and in a slatternly 
gown. It is not true that 

"Beauty unadorned is adorned the most," 

except the beauty is something extraordinary, and 
Venuses are rare. All these things are to be considered, 
for the eye plays nearly as important a part as the palate 
in the pleasures of the table. 

The breakfast begins with fruit, oranges, bananas, or 
apples, and in season, melons, berries, peaches, cherries, 
etc. All that is needed with the fruit is fruit plates, 
doilies, knife and finger bowl. These are then removed, 
and plates holding saucers for oatmeal, cracked wheat or 
other porridge are then put on. Milk and cream should be 
passed to guests, but for children it is perhaps advisable 
to use your own discretionary powers. 

The solid foods come next, such as meat and eggs. 
The plates are again changed, this time heated. They 
are placed in a pile in front of the head of the house, who 
waits on each person in turn. 

The plates at luncheon are .usually changed but once. 
This is when the transition is made from the solid food to 



64 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

the sweet. Of course, this depends entirely upon the 
food. 

But little formality is practiced; the guests, if any, 
wait on themselves mainly. 

A few directions regarding the " family " dinner, to 
distinguish it from the more formal one mentioned else- 
where, may not be amiss. 

The table cloth should be immaculately white, always. 
Occasionally a freak of fashion sanctions some color in 
silken center pieces or sashes gracefully arranged, but 
white is in good form at all times. Don't overlook the 
flowers. The brighter they are the better. Remember 
that the table should not be crowded. Where the meat 
platter is to go a large fringed napkin should be spread. 
All the small silver should be placed on the table at once. 
The knife and fork for the second course, a fork for the 
salad, and next a spoon for the soup. The napkin may 
be laid either to the left or in front of the plate, with a 
"piece of bread between its folds. In addition to these are 
the butter plates, the tumblers or goblets, the salt cellars 
and cruets. No caster. The ice bowl and water caraffe 
are placed on a side table. With oysters, lemon or 
vinegar should be served. Five oysters are an ample 
number for each plate. After this course, the soup tureen, 
with ladle and soup plates, are set before the host or 
hostess, who thereupon serves the soup. This, of course, 
is only done at a family dinner. The soup plates are set in 
plates which have already been placed before each person. 

The meat comes next. One roast is always sufficient 
for a small dinner. If you have two, let one be white, and 
the other brown. Hints on carving will be found else- 
where. 



DINING. 65 

The vegetables may be passed by the waitress to each 
guest on either small plates or the large ones, containing 
the meat. The vegetables may be placed on the table 
after being passed once, but the better form is to return 
them to the side table. 

When the second course is removed, a clean plate is 
applied at each place. The salad bowl is set in front of 
the mistress. After the salad is served, the waitress will 
pass crackers and cheese. 

After this remove everything except the flowers, 
small silver and glasses. Take the principal things away 
jirst, the dishes, plates, then small pieces, cruets, salt 
cellars and the like. 

Then the dessert dishes are distributed, and the host- 
ess supplies to each, after the same manner as the soup. 

Don't allow any unnecessary noise. Nothing destroys 
the harmony of a dinner so much as the chattering of 
dishes. Insist on the waiter or waiters wearing light 
shoes. Serve the food daintily and hot. Cut all cold 
meats neat and thin. It should go without saying that 
pastry should not be given to children. 

Afternoon teas. These are usually affairs in which 
the dollar mark is thrust unpleasantly near our faces, and 
require long purses, but the housewife of modest means 
can give a very charming and pretty entertainment with 
little money, if she exercises a little judgment, and avoids 
pretentiousness. She can give a delightful little dinner 
with oysters, soup, some simple entree, such as croquettes 
or patties, a roast, some salad, dessert, and coffee. No 
elaborate menu is necessary. In these days table furnish- 
ings are both cheap and pretty. Plain white china is 
always in good taste. It is well to bear in mind, when 



66 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

counting the cost of entertaining, that a few women are 
much more certain to have a good time than a large num- 
ber. For an afternoon tea it need not be necessary to 
serve a dinner as elaborate as the one just mentioned. 
With tea, coffee and chocolate, bread and butter, sand- 
wiches (cut thin and in triangles), and some light cake, 
could be made a charming lunch. Some study and experi- 
ence is of course necessary to prevent people from becom- 
ing bored, but a little tact goes a great ways. 

For any sort of entertainment see that your help are 
well trained. Of course, if you live in a city, and can 
afford it, a caterer may be employed for the occasion 
who will leave nothing to be desired, but this is a priv- 
ilege that all are not in a position to enjoy. 

Prepare a bill of the dinner or lunch, and put it up in 
a convenient place where it may be consulted by the help. 
You might also get up a list of the tableware needed. In 
a small household, don't waste the stray bits of dishes left 
over. Meat left in this way may be used for salmis, scal- 
lops and a dozen things. Stale bread can go into pud- 
dings, desserts, etc. ; cold rice and macaroni go into soups; 
cheese may be used for Welsh rarebit. Beets make excel- 
lent salad, and scraps of washed potatoes can be trans- 
formed into potato puffs or puree. 

CARVING. 

It is by no means a slight accomplishment to be able 
to carve properly and gracefully. The Romans at the 
time of the empire understood this matter. It was taught 
in the schools, and a high degree of perfection was attained. 
The French know more about it nowadays than any 
other people. 



CARVING. 67 

There are no serious difficulties in learning how to 
carve, and, with a little study and patience, any one may 
quickly learn to perform the task with sufficient skill to at 
least avoid remark, and every head of a household ought 
to make it a study. It is not an easy matter to prepare a 
good dinner, but it is an easy matter to spoil the effect by 
negligent carving. 

All exertion is in very bad taste. It either indicates 
your lack of dexterity as a carver, or toughness of the 
roast, or age of the fowl. It is not difficult to carve fowls, 
and in roasts, loins, breasts, forequarters. etc. , the butcher 
should always separate the joints. 

The platter should be placed so that the carver has 
full control of it, and thus avoid ungracefulness. Use a 
keen, sharp knife. 

In carving a turkey, place the head to the right, cut 
off the drumstick, sidebone, next the wing, then the sec- 
ond joint, and slice down the breast until a rounded white 
piece appears, which you can separate from the bone by 
sticking the blade between. This is one of the best parts 
of the fowl. Then turn the bird the other way — the 
fork need not be removed from the breast bone during the 
entire operation — and perform the same operation on the 
other side. 

Serve each person with a piece of the dark and a slice 
of the white meat. 

A capon, partridge or large chicken may be carved 
the same way. 

Small chickens are usually served in halves, either 
cut straight down the breast bone or crosswise. 

As a rule, only the breast of the partridge is eaten, 
the legs being too bitter. Stick the fork straight in the 



68 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

breast bone, cut a slice from the outside breast, then cut 
close along the breast bone and around the wing, pushing 
all the meat from off both breasts. The grouse may be 
usually carved in the same way. Generally, however, 
birds and small fowl are served simply in halves. 

Only the breast of the canvas back duck is eaten. 
Stick the fork straight and firmly into the middle of the 
breast bone. Then carefully cut off the meat from the 
breast, either in one or two thick slices, or thinner. 
Other kinds of ducks, such as redhead and mallard, are 
carved the same way. Small birds, squab, snipe, plover, 
woodcock, etc., are usually served whole. No carving is 
necessary. 

Roast Beef. — When the rib-beef is well roasted take 
it from the oven and put in on a hot dish with the rib 
bones downward. Cut off just a little of the crust from 
the top. Stick in the fork slantingly near the edge, and 
hold it firmly with the left hand, while with the right evenly 
cut small slices, one third of an inch thick, down to the 
rib bones. Then cut underneath to separate the slices, 
and serve. 

A saddle of mutton, lamb, or venison should be first 
carved lengthwise, then, crosswise down. Be careful to 
stick the fork firmly in the saddle, and use a very sharp 
knife. Keep close to the bone, and when the piece is 
detached, cut crosswise into small pieces half an inch or 
more thick. 

In carving roasted leg of mutton, begin with small, 
thin, even slices about a quarter of an inch thick diago- 
nally down to the bone. Continue this until you come to 
the end bone, then cut lengthwise underneath to the end. 
The meat is much thinner on the under side. Carve here 



CHOOSING FISH, GAME AND VEGETABLES. 6g 

diagonally, and serve a piece from either side. The 
roasted leg of lamb is carved in the same way. 

Tongue should be carved as thin as a wafer. It is 
much more appetizing cut in that way. In fact, the same 
statement applies to roast and boiled meats in general. 
Cut these meats — except mutton — too thin rather than 
too thick. 

The center slices of the tongue are considered the 
best. 

A loin of veal or mutton should be jointed by the 
butcher before cooking, and the carver can easily cut 
through the ribs. 

Some practice is needful in serving fish. Lightness 
of touch and dexterity of management are necessary to 
prevent the flakes from breaking. In serving shad a part 
of the roe should be placed on each plate. The turbot is 
placed underpart uppermost on the platter, for the best 
part of the fish is that underneath. The fins are much 
sought for. In serving salmon a portion of both sides 
should be tendered. The flavor of the fish nearest the 
bone is not equal to that on the upper part. 

CHOOSING FISH, GAME AND VEGETABLES. 

Fish of all sorts is best when short, thick, well made, 
bright in the scales, stiff and springy to the touch, not 
flabby, and the gills of a fresh red. When the gills are 
not bright and fresh red-colored, the fish is not eatable. 
Salmon, bluefish, pike, lake and brook trout, bass, red 
snapper, kingfish, and fish of that order are not good 
when the eyes are sunken, the fins hanging and the gills 
grown pale. When stale, any fish is exceedingly unwhole- 
some, and should be carefuly avoided. 



JO FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Lobster should be chosen by its weight, alertness, 
and fresh smell. The tail should be stiff and springy, 
and the sides firm. Those weighing three or four 
pounds are the best, if there is no water in them. When 
freshly caught there is some muscular action in their 
claws, which is excited by pressing the eyes. If stale, 
the lobster has a heavy, muggy smell. Lobsters should 
not be shipped any distance alive, but should be boiled 
before being shipped. A lobster that has died before 
going into the boiling pot is unfit for food. If the claws 
are drawn up rigidly, it is a good indication, but, if they are 
limp and sprawling, the lobster was dead before being 
put in the boiling pot. Crabs and shrimps may be 
chosen in the same way. Always choose the largest and 
heaviest crab you can find. Soft-shell crabs are in season 
from May to September. They should not be dead when 
put upon the fire. They should be killed by the opera- 
tion of cooking. One of the most palatable ways in 
which they may be cooked, is to roll them in flour, and 
drop them in boiling fat — like a doughnut. 

Herrings and mackerel are unfit for the table when 
faded, wrinkled or pliable. 

Coming from cold waters, no fish keeps better than 
the Lake Superior whitefish and trout, unless it is the 
salmon. The former is the better, being delicate and 
luscious in taste and having few bones. It greatly resem- 
bles the shad, and is not surpassed by any large fresh- 
water fish. The pickerel, bass and wall-eyed pike of the 
inland lakes are also admirable fish, and can be shipped, 
packed in ice, so that they reach the market as fresh as 
could be desired. Lake Superior trout is the best fish for 
boiling. 



CHOOSING FISH, GAME AND VEGETABLES. 7 1 

Fresh fish should be scaled and cleaned on a dry table, 
not in water. No more water should be used in cleaning 
them than is really necessary. If frozen when brought 
from market, thaw in ice-cold water. Do not, however, 
use frozen fish at all if you can avoid it. Eels must be 
dressed promptly, or their sweetness disappears. They 
are good except in the warm summer months. 

If pepper be sprinkled over meat — to be washed off 
when ready for cooking — it will prevent it from tainting 
as quickly as will powdered charcoal. Don't put meats on 
ice, put them near the ice. It is the cold air formed by 
the ice, not the ice itself, which preserves. 

The best beef may be known by its smooth, medium 
grain, an agreeable carnation color, delicately marbled 
with streaks of fat. The flesh should look red, and the 
suet white, and the fat of a light straw color. High-col- 
ored, coarse-grained beef, with a deep yellow fat, should 
be rejected. Steer-beef, not to exceed three years old, 
will be found the best. It is. more economical, as well as 
more toothsome and good. That of fatted cows and oxen, 
while much used, is not desirable. Bull-beef should never 
be purchased, being clammy, rank and closely grained. 
The fat is rank, skinny and hard. 

All beef should be hung in a cooling house, not less 
than three weeks before being used, and, if properly cared 
for, will be free from mold or any taint. 

Formerly the tenderloin was regarded as the choicest 
portion of the steaks, but the sirloin in the best beef is 
now considered superior. The tenderloin lies under the 
short rib, is close to the backbone, and is generally cut 
through with, and is part of, the porterhouse. If a ten- 
derloin is wanted, it may be secured by buying an edge- 



72 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

bone steak. This, after the tenderloin is removed, is equal 
to the sirloin. There is a part of the round, known as 
the top round steak, which is a hearty as well as econom- 
ical steak, and is sometimes called the tender round. 
Rump steaks, if from good beeves, are excellent. 

Veal should never be from calves less than four weeks 
old. If younger, it is unfit, and, if older than two months, 
it is apt to be poor from lack of nourishment. Grass diet 
changes the flesh, and it becomes less juicy. The kidney 
will show the feeding and condition. 

Mutton is at its best when one year old, and should 
be short and thick, and weigh fifty to sixty pounds. The 
breed known as Southdown is best. The test of excel- 
lence is the color. The lean portions should be of a 
bright red, and the fat white, and not yellowish. The 
mutton or lamb will prove the best the legs and shoulders 
of which are short-shanked. In the choice of lamb, 
observe the eye. It should be bright and full, not sunk 
or wrinkled. The longer mutton is hung up, provided it 
does not taint, the better it is. 

Great care should be exercised in buying pork. If 
diseased or ill-fed, no meat is more injurious. The lean 
should be fine-grained and white. The fat should also be 
white. A thin rind is a good indication in all pork, a 
thick, tough one, not easily impressed by the finger, 
is a sign of age. The lean of young pork will break on 
being pinched. Measly pork is easily distinguished by 
the fat being full of kernels. Rusty bacon has yellow 
streaks in it. Fresh pork is not much eaten in warm 
weather. As to bacon and ham, observe whether the 
smell be fresh, that the fat and lean be clear and not 
streaked with yellow. In buying bacon, observe also 



CHOOSING FISH, GAME AND VEGETABLES. 73 

that the fat feels oily, appears white and does not crumble, 
and that the flesh is of good color and adheres to the 
bone. 

As to the poultry, it may generally be remarked that 
cultivated fowls are the best. Good fowls are short, plump, 
broad in the breast and thick in the rump. A hen is old 
if her legs and comb be rough. Young poultry may be 
distinguished by the pellucid appearance and peculiar feel 
of the flesh, and by the flexibility of the breast bone. The 
feet and bill of a young goose are yellow ; they turn red as 
the bird grows old. If fresh the feet are supple. If stale 
they are dry and stiff. Young ducks feel tender under 
the wings, and the web of the foot is transparent Tame 
ducks have yellow legs, wild ducks reddish ones. In 
pheasants and quail yellow legs and dark bill are signs of 
a young bird. Pigeons should be fresh, fat and tender, 
and the feet pliant and smooth. The eyes of prairie 
chickens are full and round when young, and the breast 
bone is soft. Snipe and plover may be chosen by the 
same signs. Partridges taint first in the crop, and you 
should open its bill and notice the odor. If the bill is black 
and the legs yellow the bird is young ; if the bill is white 
and the legs have a bluish cast the bird is too old for the 
table. When pigeons grow red-legged they are old. 
The capon is known by a short and pale comb, a thick 
rump and breast, and a fat vein on the side of the breast. 
When young the spurs will be short and the legs 
smooth. 

The choice of venison should be governed by the fat, 
which, when the deer is young, is thick, clear and close, 
and the meat should be a reddish brown. It taints first 
near the haunches. The flesh of a female deer about three 



74 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

years old is the best venison. You can tell an old rabbit 
by its long, rough claws and gray hairs. If young the 
wool and claws are smooth. If stale, it is supple and the 
flesh bluish; but, if fresh, it will be stiff, and the flesh white 
and dry. 

Vegetables are crisp when they are fresh; they are 
stale if they bend and have a wilted appearance. The 
latter can be remedied somewhat by putting them in a 
cool, dark place and sprinkling cold water on them. 
Celery stalks should be white, solid and clean. Eggplant 
should be firm rather than ripe. Peas should be bought 
in pods, and should be cool and dry. Those that are 
rusty and spotted should be avoided. 

There are a number of ways to judge of eggs. One 
way is to drop the egg in a pan of cold water. The 
fresher the egg, the sooner it will fall to the bottom. If 
bad it will float on the top. The best way to keep eggs 
is in bran or meal, turning them frequently. Salt will 
preserve them in any climate, if properly packed. 

In selecting cheese, beware of too much swelling. 
The test of good cheese is its moist, smooth and cool 
feeling. 

This country is better equipped with raw food 
materials than any other on the globe, not only as regards 
variety but quality, and there is no excuse for monotony 
in menus. It should also be remembered that money 
alone cannot provide wholesome and appetizing dishes. 
Personal care and good taste must be enlisted. 

Do not consider the work of giving a dinner practi- 
cally finished when the food is selected, the menu pre- 
pared and the dishes successfully cooked. Quite as many 
details arise and claim your attention after you cross the 



CHOOSING FISH, GAME AND VEGETABLES. 7$ 

line from the kitchen to the dining-room as before. You 
have labored to please the palate; now you must labor to 
please the eye. Cookery, it is true, is the gastronomical 
branch of chemistry, an art as well as a science, and worthy 
of the loftiest endeavors, but no amount of skill in this 
direction can compensate for an unsightly array of ill- 
arranged dishes. The art of dining is not alone to satisfy 
such personages as that Roman Emperor whose only desire 
was to see how much he could eat, and how often; but it 
is to bring satisfaction to other senses than that, to which 
it is the special mission to minister. " A studied attention 
to the room, the table, and the serving of the courses, 
adds greatly to the success of a dinner." 

There is some diversity of opinion as to the proper 
shape of the dining table. The English maintain that it 
should be round or oval, butthe Americans usually employ 
the rectangular form. A table for eight persons should 
be eight feet long. Under the cloth should be a piece of 
green baize, heavy canton flannel, or a woolen cloth. This 
will deaden the sound of the dishes and preserve the surface 
of the table. A large napkin should be spread under the 
platter if any carving is to be done. The table-cloth, of 
white linen, should not be so large as to discommode the 
guests. See that the napkins are not laundered too stiffly. 
Take care that the table is firm on its legs, and not 
unsteady. It should be placed directly in the center of 
the dining room, under the chandelier. 

Flowers should never be omitted. It is difficult to 
have too many of these. Fashion has set the limit of 
" good form " so high that it is seldom overleaped. A 
large bouquet or basket should be placed in the center of 
the table, and a bunch tastily tied with ribbon, on the 



76 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

right of each cover for the ladies, and a boutonniere or bud 
for the gentlemen. Another pretty form is to place all the 
flowers in the center of the table, to be distributed to the 
guests after the dinner has been served. There are 
innumerable other designs for the arrangement of flowers 
with or without ribbons. But this is a field in which the 
average American lady, with her artistic intention and 
love of the beautiful, needs no guidance. 

The knife for the fish, soup spoons and oyster forks 
should be placed to the right, and a fork to the left. 

Don't crowd the table. Nothing looks as unbecom- 
ing as a table heaped with all sorts of useless articles. For 
this reason the monstrous centerpiece which was once in 
vogue has disappeared. Everything on the table should 
be of use or of esthetic worth. All floral ornamentation 
should be low, in order that the view may not be 
obstructed. The decanted wines included in the menu 
are placed on either side of the flowers in the center, and 
the small wine-glasses for the guests are arranged on the 
right of each cover, and a salt cellar is placed on the left. 

It is no longer in the best taste to fold the napkins 
into fantastic shapes, although it is still done occasionally. 
The more becoming way is to fold them squarely and 
simply. 

A printed menu may or may not be placed at each 
plate, or the menu may be written, if the guests are few 
in number. It is more homelike and quite as proper not 
to have any menu cards at all. 

There are, of course, as many menus and manners of 
serving them as there are fish in the sea, but that the 
reader may form some idea of the usual mode of placing a 
first-class dinner before guests, the following menu will be 



CHOOSING FISH, GAME AND VEGETABLES. 77 

taken for an example. This is a dinner particularly- 
appropriate to Thanksgiving day: 

Blue Points. Montrachet. 

Celery. 



Cream of Terrapin. Amontillado. 

Hors d'oeuvres Varies. 



Planked White Fish Schloss Johannisberger. 

Parisienne Potatoes. 

Cucumbers. 



Timbales of Sweetbreads, Champagne, 

a la Toulouse. 



Roast Turkey stuffed with Marrons. 
Anna Potatoes. Chateau Mouton Rothschild. 

Cranberry Sauce. 



Kirsch Punch. 



Canvas-back Duck. Romanee Conti. 

Hominy Fritters. 



Artichoke and Celery Mayonnaise. 



English Plum Pudding, Brandy Sauce. 



Noisette Panachee. Cakes. 

Biscuits. Cheese. Fruits. Old Port. 

Coffee. Cognac Liqueurs. 



The waiter should be notified as soon as the guests 
arrive, in order that he may have time to prepare the 
oysters. These should be served on the shell in a soup 
plate or other deep plate filled with shaved ice and cov- 
ered with a small fancy napkin. Have the oysters opened 
and served on deep shells, arranged neatly on the top of 
each plate, with half a lemon in the center. The oysters 
should be placed on the table a few moments before the 



78 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

guests sit down. Serve celery and Montrachet imme- 
diately after. The plates should never be removed until 
all the guests have finished. Then remove the oyster 
plates, leaving the dinner plates. The soup comes next, 
and with this course serve Amontillado. Stuffed olives, 
anchovies, radishes, mangoes and similar dishes are hors 
d'oenvres, and should be served as soon as the soup plates 
are removed. 

A planked whitefish nicely garnished should now be 
placed on the table before the host. Serve a small por- 
tion to each guest, with a spoonful of Parisienne boiled 
potatoes on one side, and apiece of lemon on the other. 
At the same time serve cucumbers in individual plates. 
Schloss Johannisberger is served with this course. 

Remove the plates, and serve Timbales. Put a spoon- 
ful of sauce on each plate, then a timbale. Have both 
very hot. Also serve Champagne. 

The turkey, artistically garnished, should now be 
brought in on a large platter, and placed before the host. 
Serve in each plate a piece of the white and a piece of 
the dark meat, with gravy over the dressing. The cran- 
berry sauce may be set before each guest in small sauce 
plates. Have two dishes of Anna potatoes, cut in small 
portions, passed about to the guests. Then serve the 
Chateau Mouton Rothschild. 

Then remove all the dishes used with the previous 
course, and bring out the Kirsch punch, either in glasses, 
shells, or fancy cups. Arrange them on cold dessert plates 
with a fancy napkin or paper underneath. 

The canvas-back ducks come next. Serve them on 
hot plates to each guest, half of a breast with a little 
gravy, and a hominy fritter. This course should be 




MINNA K. GfcLE. 



BREAKFAST. 79 

brought to the table thoroughly hot. Serve Romanee 
Conti. On each salad plate put a lettuce leaf, and on it 
an artichoke heart dipped in French dressing and filled 
with celery mayonnaise. Serve very cold. 

After this remove everything from the table except 
the flowers, bon-bons, etc., and serve the plum pudding. 
Pour brandy around the pudding on the platter, spread 
powdered sugar on top, set fire to the brandy, and, with 
a spoon, keep pouring it over the top until it ceases to 
burn. Cut in slices and serve, putting some of the liquid 
on each plate. 

Ice-cream, " noisette panachee," should be served, 
with ice-cream forks, after the pudding. Small assorted 
cakes should be passed at the same time. 

Then remove the plates, and place before each guest 
a dessert plate for fruit, crackers or cheese. Old port is 
served in small glasses at the same time. While the 
finger-bowls — with a little peppermint water, or water 
with a geranium leaf in it — are being used, place on the 
table small cups for coffee, which should be served very 
hot. Cognac and liqueurs complete the dinner. 

BREAKFAST. 
Prepared by Kinsley's. 

MENU. 

Melon. 
Frogs au Beurre. Cucumbers. 

Lamb Chops Broiled. Pomme Sara. 

Coffee. Eggs en Bechamel. Rolls. 

Frogs au Beurre. — Cleanse the frogs' legs in cold 
water, then in fresh water with a little salt and lemon 
juice, wipe dry, roll in flour, put them in a frying-pan in 
melted butter, and cover the pan. Let them cook for five 
minutes till they are nicely browned on both sides. 



80 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Cucumbers. — Peel them deep, and slice them carefully. 
Half an hour before using them put some vinegar and salt 
on them. Stir them well, and keep them in a cool place. 
Just before using them press out all the vinegar and water, 
add a little fresh vinegar and salt if needed, and dress them 
with oil and pepper. They should be well stirred and 
served very cold; dress with vinegar. 

Lamb CJiops y Broiled. — Cut the chops from the loin of 
lamb through the kidney, broil, and baste with butter and 
salt. 

Pomme Sara. — A potato, cut with a peculiar knife 
used for the purpose; can be fried or boiled. 

Eggs en Bechamel. — Poach the required number of 
eggs, and serve in a deep dish in Bechamel sauce. Garnish 
with cress. 

Bechamel Sauce. — Melt an ounce of butter in a sauce- 
pan, add an ounce of flour, and mix well together, add an 
onion cut in slices, half an ounce of lean raw ham, and a 
small portion of salt and pepper. When beginning to 
color, slightly moisten with a pint of milk, and stir well 
until boiling, after which let boil ten minutes longer. 
Strain and serve. 

CHOICE RECIPES. 

Furnished by Kinsley's. 

Menu. 

Cream of Celery. 

Boiled Sea Bass. Drawn Butter. 

Potatoes a la Duchesse. 

Roast Leg of Mutton. Currant Jelly. 

White Turnips. 

Mashed Potatoes Browned. 

Bird's Nest Pudding. 

Soup. — Select a dozen nice fresh celery, pick out the 
choicest part for your table, the larger outside pieces and 



CHOICE RECIPES. 8l 

the root will do for the soup. Remove all the leaves and 
the green part, wash well, and cut up in small pieces and 
put in a saucepan. Cover with cold water and a little 
salt, and let boil, then add about one quart of good beef 
stock, and let boil for an hour; then strain, and rub the 
celery through a fine sieve, keeping the liquor hot. Put 
in another pan six ounces of good butter; when melted 
stir in four ounces of flour, fry a little, and then dilute 
with the celery stock, adding a pint of cream, and bring 
to a boil. If too thick, add a little more stock; season 
with salt and white pepper and a little ground mace. Mix 
the yolks of three eggs with one-third of a cupful of cream , 
and stir rapidly in the soup; strain again and serve. 
Small pieces of bread, cut in dice size, and toasted, may 
be served with the soup. 

Boiled Sea Bass [Drawn Butter). — Procure two good- 
sized sea bass, cleanse and dress well, and put them into a 
fish boiler with salted water and a gill of vinegar; cover 
with sheet of paper, set to boil, and let simmer for half an 
hour. Drain and dish up on a folded napkin, surround 
with parsley, and serve with drawn butter in a sauce-bowl. 
The drawn butter sauce is made by melting, slowly and 
without boiling, a half-pound of table butter in a sauce- 
pan, skimming carefully, and mixing in thoroughly the 
juice of half a lemon and a sprinkling of pepper. 

Roast Leg of Mutton (with Currant Jelly). — Cut 
the shank bone, and trim the knuckle of about an eight- 
pound fat leg of mutton, beat with cleaver to break the 
fibers and make it more tender. Roast briskly for about 
an hour and a quarter; dish up without thrusting any 
instrument inside, lest the juice should escape, and, after 
pouring a little rich gravy (made with the drippings) over 



82 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

the meat, serve with a mold or glass of currant jelly 
turned on a plate. 

White Turnips. — Peel some nice fresh white turnips, 
and, after, cutting them in quarters, put to stew in cold 
water, and, when about done, finish boiling in milk with 
salt, a little red pepper, a piece of butter and serve plain. 

Mashed Potatoes {Browned). — Fill the dish you intend 
to serve the potatoes in with mashed potatoes, and, after 
smoothing the top and besprinkling with good butter, put 
on the shelf of a hot oven till browned, and then serve. 

Bird's Nest Pudding. — To make pudding for half a 
dozen persons, pare and core six medium-sized apples, and 
put them in a dish about one and a half inches deep, and 
pour in the dish a custard very near to the top of the apples, 
and let bake in a moderate oven. After they are baked, 
fill the apples, where the core is taken from, with jelly, and 
put a meringue over the pudding in fancy shape, brown in 
the oven again for a minute, and serve. For the custard, 
stir together four eggs and four yolks of eggs, a cup and 
a half of powdered sugar, a quart and a half of milk, 
and flavor with vanilla. For one meringue, beat the 
whites of four eggs, and, when stiff, add half a cup of pul- 
verized sugar. 

Lyonnaise Potatoes. — Cut an onion in half, trim the 
ends and slice it finely, and put the pieces into a frying- pan 
with two large spoonfuls of clarified butter, and fry it 
lightly. Then add half a dozen small boiled potatoes, 
cold and sliced, season with salt and pepper, and toss 
them over the fire until slightly browned. Strain the 
butter off, and before serving add a little finely chopped 
parsley. Another manner is to chop the onion very fine 
and fry a little in butter, cut the potatoes in dice-size pieces, 



CHOICE RECIPES. 83 

and toss until brown, and add the chopped parsley before 
serving. 

CHOICE RECIPES. 

Furnished by Kinsley's. 
Puree of Green Peas. 
Baked Red Snapper. Tomato Sauce. Cucumbers. 

Roast Quail Stuffed. 
String Beans. Mashed Potatoes. 

Rice Pudding. 
Coffee. 

Puree of Green Peas. — Obtain two cans of American 
peas, and, after straining, put them in a saucepan, adding 
a slice of raw ham, an onion stuck with a few cloves, cover 
with a gallon of good beef broth, and let boil for an hour. 
Then remove the ham and onions and press the soup 
through a fine sieve and put to boil again, adding one 
half a pint of hot cream, and season with salt and pepper. 
Beat the yolks of three eggs with half a cupful of cream, 
and stir the mixture briskly into the soup, putting in also 
a third of a pound of good butter, and stir again until the 
butter is melted and thoroughly mixed. Sprinkle over 
the soup a little chopped parsley, and it will be ready to 
serve. 

Baked Red Snapper. — Clean a red snapper of medium 
size, and place it in a buttered pan. Cover the fish with 
tomato sauce ; also put upon it small portions of butter, 
and sprinkle freely with bread crumbs. It is then ready 
for the oven, where it should remain forty minutes, or 
until the flesh becomes detached from the backbone. It 
should be served with tomato sauce poured over it. 

Tomato Sauce. — Put in a saucepan one ounce of raw 
ham, a carrot, an onion, very little thyme, a bay leaf, two 
cloves, a small clove of garlic and one ounce of butter. 



84 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

After these simmer for ten minutes, add an ounce of flour 
well mixed in one quart can of tomatoes and a glass of 
consomme or stock. Let all boil for one-half an hour. 
Season with salt and pepper and the least portion of nut- 
meg. Strain, and the sauce is prepared. 

Roast Quail, Stuffed. — Clean, wash and wipe dry 
the desired number of quails, and stuff them with dry 
bread or meat stuffing; tie them securely so they will hold 
their shape, and put them in a pan. Season with salt and 
pepper; pour in a small quantity of water, enough to cover 
the bottom of the pan, and place a strip of bacon over 
each quail. Cover them nicely with a buttered paper, and 
let the quail remain in the oven for fifteen minutes, then 
remove the paper and return the pan to the hot oven, that 
the quails may be browned, turning them frequently. 
Serve on toast, pouring a little gravy over them ; the re- 
mainder should be sent to the table in a sauce-bowl. The 
gravy is made by putting in the dripping-pan in which 
the quails were roasted one pint of good stock, a large 
spoonful of beef bouillon, and letting boil for five minutes. 
Then strain and remove all the fat, and season with salt 
and pepper. Mashed potatoes make a good dish to accom- 
pany birds whose meat is dry and not juicy. 

String Beans. — Take a can of string beans, strain off 
the liquid, wash again in cold water. Into a saucepan 
put a spoonful of butter, and then put in the beans. 
Season with salt and pepper, and, after the beans are well 
heated, they may be served. 

Rice Pudding. — Wash six ounces of rice, changing 
the water several times; boil it in boiling water for ten 
minutes, then put it in cold water for a moment, drain it 
and put into a saucepan on the fire, with three pints of 



CHOICE RECIPES. 83 

milk, six ounces of sugar, a little grated lemon peel, a 
pinch of allspice, and a very little nutmeg, Let these 
simmer gently for an hour, and one by one four eggs 
should be added, and stir until well mixed; pour rice into 
a deep dish, previously buttered, and place in an oven 
until well colored, then remove it from the oven, put it 
on ice, and serve extremely cold. 

CHOICE RECIPES. 

Furnished by Kinsley's. 

MENU. 

Tapioca Soup. 
Boiled Pickerel, with Melted Butter. 

Boiled Parisienne Potatoes. 

Roast Loin of Veal, German Style. 
Lettuce Salad. 
Apple Compote. 

Tapioca Soup. — Prepare a good, strong soup stock, 
strain it, and let it cool; skim off all fatty substances, and 
season with a little salt and pepper. Put into this stock 
a few stalks of celery, one-half a bunch of parsley, and 
stir into it the whites of six eggs after beating them, also 
put in the shells after crumbling them. Place this prep- 
aration on the range, and let it come to a boil, stirring it 
often, as it easily burns. After permitting it to boil gently 
for five minutes, take from the range and strain the stock 
through a napkin into a clean saucepan. For four quarts 
of stock put in one quarter a pound of tapioca, and let it 
boil for forty minutes, when it will be ready to serve. 

Boiled Pickerel. — Procure a fresh-water pickerel or 
pike about five pounds in weight, clean carefully, and tie 
the head to the body with a string, and put it in a narrow 
fish boiler with salted and acidulated water and a bunch 
of parsley. Put a sheet of paper over the fish,andIetitcook 



86 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

slowly for one-half an hour. Then drain it, slide the fish 
on a platter, garnish with lemons and parsley and serve 
with butter sauce in a sauce-boat. Parisienne potatoes, 
boiled, should accompany the pickerel, served on a sepa- 
rate dish. 

Roast Loin of Veal, German Style. — In the first 
place a German stuffing should be prepared as follows: 
Parboil, cool and press the water out of two white chopped 
onions, and put them in a saucepan with four ounces of 
butter, and let fry until they become soft. Add a pound 
of white stale bread soaked in cold water and well pressed. 
Set these ingredients over the fire, and stir steadily until 
they assume the consistency of a paste, and do not stick 
to the pan. Add a couple of handfuls of boiled ham, cut 
in small squares, four egg yolks, a little chopped parsley 
and nutmeg, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Now 
bone a loin of veal, season it, and put the stuffing just 
made inside, sew the opening, roll and truss lightly, and 
place the veal in a moderate oven, and let it roast for two 
hours to a brown color. Drain, trim and put on a plate. 
Add a little broth to the drippings of the pan, skim off 
the fat, pour over the veal, and it can be sent to the table. 
The Germans invariably serve lettuce salad with roast 
veal. 

Apple Compote. — Obtain a dozen large cooking apples, 
and, after paring, quartering and cutting out the cores, put 
the pieces in a saute with four ounces of melted butter, 
twelve ounces of sugar, and a teaspoonful of ground cin- 
namon. Toss, and then stir them on a brisk fire until 
pretty stiff, without allowing to brown. Let cool, and 
put up in a dome form in a large compote dish, sprinkle 
with powdered sugar, brown all over with a red hot glaz- 



CHOICE RECIPES. 87 

ing iron, garnish with cuts of currant jelly, and the com- 
pote is ready to serve. 

CHOICE RECIPES. 

Furnished by Kinsley 's. 

MENU. 

Oyster Soup. 

Broiled Shad. Parsley Butter Mangoes. 

Roast Turkey, Stuffed. Cranberry Sauce. 

Roast Goose Stuffed with Apples. 

Brown Sweet Potatoes. 

Mashed White Potatoes. 

Cardinal Punch. 

Broiled Quail. Celery Mayonnaise. 

English Plum Pudding. 

Noisette Panachee. Apple, Mince and Pumpkin Pie. 

Coffee. 

Oyster Soup. — Two dozen and a half of the largest 
fresh shell oysters will be sufficient for eight persons. 
The oysters should be stewed in their own liquor, then 
strained, put in a soup tureen and kept warm. Melt in a 
saucepan one quarter of a pound of good butter, stir in a 
spoonful of flour, dilute with a quart and a half of hot 
milk, adding the liquor from the oysters. Let these 
ingredients come to a boil, season with salt and a little 
cayenne, and, after mixing one-half a pint of cold cream 
with the yolks of three eggs, stir the mixture rapidly into 
the soup. Let all become hot, but do not allow it to boil. 
Strain this prepared soup over the oysters, and the dish 
is ready to be served. 

Broiled Shad. — Cleanse thoroughly, split open and 
trim a couple of shad, and place them on ice at least one 
hour before they should be broiled. Rub over the fish a 
little lemon juice and a little olive oil, and let them broil for 
twenty minutes over a hot fire. Place them upon a plate, 



88 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

besprinkle with butter and a little chopped parsley, and, 
after garnishing with celery leaves and lemon, this palata- 
ble dish may be sent to the table. 

Roast Turkey, Stuffed. — Clean and truss a large young 
turkey, stuff and roast for 2^ hours, baste often, make a 
sauce from the drippings in pan and serve in sauce 
bowl. 

Stuffing. — Soak two loaves of stale bread in cold water; 
chop i onion, i can mushrooms, i doz. marrons, fine; put 
onions in pan with butter and fry light brown; add mush- 
rooms, marrons, season with salt, pepper and sage; chop 
2 doz. cooked oysters and add them; press soaked bread 
dry, and mingle with this mixture, add eggs, and stuff the 
turkey. 

Roast Goose, with Apples. — Truss and singe a young 
fat goose, core some apples, rub the inside of the goose 
with a little thyme, salt and pepper, fill up with apples, 
and roast till done. Bake a few apples in pan with goose, 
and, when you are about to make the sauce from drippings, 
press apples through sieve with sauce. Baste goose 
often, but do not stick fork in the bird when turning. 

Cranberry Sauce — This sauce can be made an orna- 
ment to the table also, instead of being served in the old- 
fashioned way. After the cranberry sauce is strained and 
boiled for twenty minutes with the sugar, put it in a mold, 
and keep it in an ice chest to cool. When the turkey is 
served, turn the jelly from the mold upon a plate to 
accompany it. 

Broiled Quail. — Great care should be taken in broiling 
quail, for, if they are not properly cooked, they will 
become dry and tasteless. Let the quail broil slowly, 



CHOICE RECIPES. • 89 

and baste them frequently with butter. Serve on 
toast with a small strip of bacon. 

Celery Mayonnaise. — Cut some nice white celery 
into small, regular-sized pieces and mix with mayonnaise, 
not too thick. 

English Plum Pudding. — Have the following ingre- 
dients ready for use: One cup each of small raisins, cur- 
rants, layer raisins and chopped beef suet; one-half cup 
each of flour, molasses and brandy; one-half of a loaf of 
white bread, one tablespoonful of cinnamon, with a tea- 
spoonful of allspice, and one-half teaspoonful each of 
cloves, mace and ginger, three-quarters of a pound of 
sugar, and half a dozen eggs. Soak the bread in cold 
water and squeeze it dry. Wash the fruit and keep it 
moist. Chop the suet very fine with flour. Put all the 
ingredients together in a bowl, mix them well, and let 
them remain over night. If it should be too stiff in the 
morning, add a little milk. Let the preparation steam for 
five hours. Turn out on a deep platter, pour a portion 
of brandy over the pudding, set it on fire and serve. 

CHOICE RECIPES. 
Furnished by Kinsley's. 

MENU. 

Tapioca Soup with Rice. 

Fresh Mackerel with Wine Sauce. 

Stewed Potatoes. 

Boiled Partridge, Celery Sauce. 

Broiled Potatoes. 

Asparagus Salad. 

Neapolitan Cream. Cake. 

Coffee. 

Tapioca Soup with Rice. — Prepare three quarts of 
good, clear beef broth, let boil, stir, and then drop slowly 



90 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

into four ounces of pulverized tapioca, and let boil again 
for one half an hour. Cook separately six ounces of rice 
in white broth, drain, and put with the tapioca, and this 
mixture should be boiled a few minutes; then skim, 
season to taste, and pour it into a soup tureen. After 
mixing in a spoonful of chopped parsley the soup will be 
ready for the table. 

Fresh Mackerel.— -Cleanse, wash and wipe dry three 
fresh mackerel, and put them in a saucepan with a chopped 
onion, a little butter, a sprinkling of salt and pepper, a 
portion of parsley, and one-half a pint of white wine. 
Cover the pan, and let the fish cook slowly for one-half an 
hour. Then drain the fish, and add one-half a pint of 
white broth to the gravy. Knead two ounces of flour 
with two ounces of butter, and thicken the gravy with this 
mixture. After it is boiled for a few minutes stir in the 
yolks of three eggs, and then strain this preparation and 
pour it over the fish. The top of the fish should then be 
covered with fine breadcrumbs and small portions of but- 
ter. Place the pan in a warm oven, and let it remain till 
the mackerel is baked to alight brown color. Remove it 
from the oven, press the juice of a lemon over it, and the 
mackerel is ready to serve in the baking dish. 

Stewed Potatoes. — Cut the required number of raw 
potatoes in small dice-shaped pieces, and let them stew 
in salt water until nearly done. Pour off the water, and 
cover the potatoes with hot cream or milk and a spoonful 
of butter, and finish boiling them. Season with salt and 
pepper, and they may be served. 

Boiled Partridge, Celery Sauce. — After nicely dress- 
ing four fat partridges, cover their breasts with thin slices 
of larding pork, and put the birds in a stew-pan with a 



CHOICE RECIPES. 9 1 

sliced onion and a carrot, a bunch of parsley, one quart of 
water and a little salt. Cover the pan, and let boil slowly. 
When they are done, drain the partridges, and dish them 
up on dry toast, pouring over them a thick celery sauce. 

Celery Sauce. — Obtain two dozen celery, and clean 
well the roots and outer stalks, and, after cutting them in 
small pieces, put to boil in cold water, and let remain for 
an hour. Strain and press the celery through a fine sieve, 
and keep it hot. Put in a saucepan one-half pound of 
good butter, and, when it is melted, stir into it one large 
spoonful of flour, and dilute with the prepared celery 
stock, and season with salt and pepper. If too thick, add 
a little hot milk. Mix three yolks of eggs with one-half a 
teacup of cream, and stir rapidly into the sauce. Strain 
the sauce over the partridges, before sending them to the 
table. 

Asparagus Salad. — Strain off all the juices from two 
cans of American asparagus, and put all the aspara- 
gus in cold water for a minute, and then arrange it in a 
two-quart brick mold, pour some French dressing over it, 
and put the asparagus in an ice-box. When it is ready 
to serve, carefully turn it from the mold upon a plate, 
that its shape may be preserved. A French dressing is 
made of one part vinegar, four parts of oil, and a little 
chopped parsley, seasoned with salt and pepper. 

CHOICE RECIPES. 
Furnished by Kinsley 's. 

MENU. 

Mutton Broth, French Style. 

Boiled Halibut, Fleurette Sauce. 

Sliced Potatoes, with Cream. 

Venison Steaks, with Olives. 

Broiled Sweet Potatoes. 
French Artichokes, Dressed. 



92 FACTS FOR LADIES, 

Mutton Broth, French Style. — Pare a mature and 
not too fat fore-quarter of mutton, saving the chops for 
an entree, bone the shoulder, tie it with a string, trim the 
breast, and put all except the chops in a soup pot with a 
couple of pounds of soup beef, a bunch of parsley, two 
carrots, a turnip, a head of celery, and onion with four 
cloves stuck in, and two gallons of water. Season with 
salt and pepper, set the soup pot over the fire, skim the 
broth well, and let boil slowly for two hours. The breast 
and shoulder can be taken from the pot and used for 
another meal as cold mutton or stew. Let the broth boil 
two hours longer, adding stock or hot water enough to 
make broth sufficient for the persons to be dined. Skim 
the grease from the broth, and strain the latter through a 
napkin. Cut thin sippets of French bread, and put in the 
tureen with one pint of cooked barley. Pour the boiling 
broth into a tureen, and it may be served. 

Boiled Halibut. — Boil a piece of halibut, about four 
pounds in weight in salted water, acidulated with a glass 
of boiled white wine vinegar. Remove it to one side, 
where it can simmer for forty minutes on the range. 
Drain the fish, slide it on a plate, garnish with parsley, and 
it will be ready for the table. 

Fleurette Sauce. — Fleurette is the first skimming of 
milk, and quickly comes to a boil. Knead in saucepan 
three ounces of butter with one ounce of flour, a little salt 
and pepper; dilute with one pint and a half of fleurette, 
hot, stir over the fire, and let boil a moment, and the sauce 
will be prepared. 

Venison Steak. — Four venison steaks, weighing four- 
teen ounces each, will be sufficient for eight persons. 
Flatten them, pare a little, and season with salt and pepper, 






CHOICE RECIPES. 93 

baste with oil, and broil rare over a brisk fire. Stone and 
parboil three dozen olives; then drain and put in one pint 
of Madeira sauce. Dish up the steaks, pour over them 
the sauce and olives, and send to the table. 

Broiled Sweet Potatoes. — Boil, let cool, and peel the 
number of large sweet potatoes required. Slit them in 
two or three slices, dip in melted butter, and place them 
in a double gridiron. Broil a light brown on both sides, 
dish them up, and, after pouring some melted butter over 
the potatoes, they may be served. 

French Artichokes. — Fresh artichokes should be boiled 
in salted water for about an hour. They then should be 
drained, put in cold water, and placed in the ice box. 
When ready to serve, take from the water, wipe dry, place 
on a plate and send to the table. Canned artichokes 
should be placed in ice-cold water for fifteen minutes 
before serving them. The dressing to accompany them 
is made by mixing two large spoonfuls of vinegar with one 
of chopped parsley, a little salt and pepper, and eight 
spoonfuls of good olive oil. 

CHOICE RECIPES. 

Furnished by Kinsley's. 

MENU. 

Puree a la Colbert. 

Baked Oysters in Shells. 

Mangoes. Stewed Potatoes. 

Salmi- of Wild Duck. 

Browned Sweet Potatoes. 

Vegetable Salad, with Artichokes. 

Ice Cream. Cake. 

Coffee. 

Puree a la Colbert. — Remove the green leaves from 



94 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

five stalks of celery, and the same number of chicory, and 
let the stalks parboil for five minutes, and, after draining, 
chop them fine and press out the water, and put them in 
a saucepan with six ounces of butter; fry a little, and 
then cover the dish, and then let cook for one-half an hour. 
Besprinkle with three ounces of sifted flour, mix well, and 
dilute with three and one-half quarts of light chicken or 
veal stock, add a little salt, white pepper, and nutmeg, 
boil for five minutes, strain and rub through a fine sieve, 
stir and boil again, finish with a liaison consisting of three 
yolks of eggs mixed with one pint of cream and two 
ounces of butter in small bits. Mingle well on the fire, 
without boiling, add eight poached eggs, or one for each 
person, and serve. 

Baked Oysters i?i Shells. — Boil two quarts of oysters 
with their liquor, a little stock with a morsel of butter. 
Drain the oysters upon a cloth, and strain the liquor 
through a fine sieve. Thicken about one-half of the 
liquor with an ounce of butter, kneaded with an ounce of 
flour; stir and let boil for five minutes, and finish with a 
sprinkling of salt, white and red pepper and a little nutmeg. 
Then stir in rapidly the yolks of four eggs mixed with the 
juice of a lemon. Remove from the fire, and mix in the 
oysters. Butter slightly eight or more large, deep and 
well shaped oyster shells, and fill them with the prepared 
oysters. Sprinkle over them pulverized crackers, and 
also put a few small bits of butter on each shell. Range 
them in a baking-pan and place them in a hot oven for 
about ten minutes until they are slightly browned. Dish 
up on a folded napkin, and they are ready for the table. 
Companion dishes are cold boiled potatoes cut in small 




ELLEN TERRY. 



CHOICE RECIPES. 95 

diced pieces and stewed in cream, and mangoes, which 
can be obtained from a grocer. 

Salmis of Wild Duck. — Roast three wild ducks, cut 
them in pieces, pare nicely, and keep warm in a saucepan. 
But bruise and put all the trimmings and bones into a 
saucepan with two glasses of sherry wine, two and one- 
half pints of stock, a sprig of thyme, a bay leaf, two cloves, 
a few pepper leaves, sprays *of parsley, with a few sliced 
shallots, and let all boil briskly for twenty minutes. Strain 
through a colander, and afterward through a fine sieve. 
Then add one-half a jar of Kinsley's condensed beef, and 
let boil, reducing it to the required thickness. Squeeze 
in the juice of a lemon, and stir in two ounces of butter, 
season with a little salt, and pour this sauce over the 
ducks, and mix in about thirteen olives stoned and 
parboiled. Salmis should be served upon a deep platter, 
surrounded with fancy-shaped croutons fried in butter. 
Finish by sprinkling a little chopped parsley on top. 

Vegetable Salad, with Artichokes. — Take the arti- 
chokes from two cans of them, and put in cold water for 
ten minutes. Boil one day previous, two large carrots 
and one large turnip, keep them in cold water over night, 
then slice them about one-third of an inch thick, and 
with a tube cutter cut out small pieces from these slices, 
and mix these together with one-half a can of French 
peas, and one-quarter can of French string beans (cut in 
small pieces), and dress with French dressing. Line a 
salad plate with lettuce leaves, and put on these the arti- 
chokes, sprinkle over a little French dressing, fill each 
artichoke with the vegetable salad, and also put on each 



96 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

one-quarter of a teaspoonful of mayonnaise dressing, and 
serve very cold. 

CHOICE RECIPES. 

Furnished by Kinsley^s. 

MENU. 

Vermicelli Soup. 
Broiled Shad, with Roe. 

Cucumbers. 

Breast of Mallard Duck. 

Sweet Potatoes. Fresh Mushrooms. 

Apricot Fritters, Brandy Sauce. 

Coffee. 

Vermicelli Soup. — Prepare a good beef stock, strain, 
skim off the fat and let cool. Chop up one pound of raw 
beef, and mix with it an onion and carrot, sliced, a little 
parsley, and four eggs, shells included. Stir this mixture 
into the soup stock, and set the stock over the fire to 
come to a boil, occasionally stirring it that it may not 
burn. After it has slowly boiled for ten minutes, strain 
it through a napkin, and season to taste. Boil the 
required amount of vermicelli (one-quarter a pound will 
suffice for eight persons) in salt water, strain, then mix 
with soup prepared, and serve. The salted water should 
be boiling before putting in the vermicelli. 

Broiled Shad with Roe. — One large shad will be suf- 
ficient for six persons. After splitting the fish, removing 
the roe, and cleaning well, spread it out upon a pan, 
besprinkle with a little salt and pepper, the juice of one- 
half a lemon and a little oil or melted butter. Let the fish 
now stand in the ice box till ready to broil. Baste well 



CHOICE RECIPES. 97 

during broiling; and, when it is cooked, put on a plate, 
garnish with parsley and lemon, and serve. 

Breast of Mallard Duck. — Select four nice mallard 
ducks for eight persons, or so that one duck should sup- 
ply two persons. Pick, draw and clean them nicely, cut 
out carefully the two breasts or fillets, lard them neatly, 
and put them in a cold place. Roast the remaining parts 
of the ducks; the legs and carcases can be used for a 
game soup or salmis of duck. Put in a saucepan one- 
third of a jar of Kinsley's or some other condensed beef, 
and melt with one-half a pint of water. Roast the breasts 
of the ducks for a few minutes in a hot oven, and then put 
them in a saucepan with a little butter, and let them brown 
on both sides, but be rare. Pour over the breasts the 
melted beef bouillon, and a jigger of Madeira wine, a lit- 
tle red pepper and serve at once. 

Fresh Mushrooms. — Peel and clean the mushrooms 
and wash th.em in cold water. Let them parboil in slightly 
acidulated water for three minutes, drain and fry in good 
butter, and serve with the duck on the same plate. 

Apricot Fritters, Braitdy Sauce. — Strain off the liquor 
from one can of apricots, and boil it with one pint of water, 
one pound of sugar, and one-half a sliced lemon. While 
boiling, stir in one tablespoonful of cornstarch, mixed with 
water, boil for a minute longer, strain, add one jigger of 
brandy, and keep hot. Place the apricots on a sieve, and 
take them one by one and dip them in the batter, fry 
brown in plenty of hot fat, besprinkle with sugar, and this 
toothsome dish will be ready for the table. The batter is 
made with one-half pound of sifted flour, a little cold milk 



98 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

and the yolks of three eggs. Mingle in carefully the whites 
of three eggs, beaten to a froth. 

CHOICE RECIPES. 

Furnished by Kinsetys. 

'MENU. 

Soup a la Chevalier. 

Stewed Lobster, Gloucester Style. 

Fried Potatoes. 

Curry of Chicken with Rice. 

Baked Macaroni. 

Broiled Quail, Celery Mayonnaise. 

Coffee. 

Soup a la Chevalier, — Prepare a good chicken broth 
with three large, fat hens, and, when the fowls are done, 
take them from the pot and let cool. But strain the broth 
and skim off all fat, and bring to a boil and season with 
salt and pepper to taste. Grate the rind of four small 
French rolls. Cut the rolls in four pieces, soak these 
pieces in cold cream for an hour, strain them, and keep 
them on a wire strainer for fifteen minutes. Then dip 
these pieces in beaten eggs, fry them brown all round in 
butter, and when done put on a plate and keep them hot. 
Shred the leaves from half a dozen celery very fine, and 
put them in boiling water for five minutes. Strain and 
put in chicken broth, sprinkle in about one-half of the 
gratings, and then serve the soup. When dishing, put in 
each plate a piece of the fried roll. 

Steived Lobsters. — Obtain four medium-sized boiled 
lobsters, and take the meat from their tail claws; cut it 
into slices, and range on the serving dish, cover it over 
and keep the the meat warm. Knead to a paste in a 
large bowl two ounces of pulverized crackers, with six 



CHOICE RECIPES. 99 

ounces of melted butter and a little chopped parsley; 
white and red pepper. Boil in a saucepan one-half of a 
jar of Kinsley's or some other brand of condensed beef, 
with a glass of sherry wine, and stir into this gradually 
and steadily the mixed paste, but it should not be allowed 
to boil, and finish with the creamy substance of the lob- 
sters. Press this preparation through a sieve; add two 
tablespoonfuls of vinegar, mingle well, pour over the lob- 
ster, and serve at once. The sauce should be thick, but, 
if it curdles, put in a tablespoonful of cold water, and stir 
with an egg beater. 

Curry of Chicken, with Rice. — The chickens from 
which the soup a la Chevalier is made should be used for 
this dish; cut them, and trim them into regular pieces. 
Melt one-half pound of butter in a saucepan, mix in a 
small cup of flour, and after this mixture has become hot, 
stir in one tablespoonful of curry powder; dilute with one 
quart and a half of stock, stir to a smooth sauce, and let 
boil for fifteen minutes, season with salt and pepper, put 
in a cut chicken, and keep the pan covered. Arrange on 
your platter a border of boiled rice, place in the center 
the chickens taken from the saucepan, strain the same 
over both the chickens and rice, sprinkle a little chopped 
parsley over, and this palatable dish is ready for the 
table. 

Baked Macaroni. — Boil water, slightly salted, in a 
saucepan, put in one pound of macaroni, let boil for 
twenty minutes, strain and place the macaroni in cold 
water. Prepare one pint of cream sauce, mingle it in the 
macaroni after cutting it in regular sized pieces, and add 
one large spoonful of grated Parmesan cheese. Put this 
preparation in a baking dish, cover with grated cheese, 



IOO FACTS FOR LADIES. 

grated bread crumbs, and melted butter, and bake to a 
brown color. This dish should be served hot. 

Broiled Quail. — Carefully pick and clean the quails, 
split them ready to broil, and keep them cold in an ice 
box until one-half hour before they are desired for the 
table. Then broil them over a hot fire, baste frequently, 
and serve the quail on toast, after placing a small piece 
of bacon on top. 

Celery Mayonnaise. — Mix with French mayonnaise 

some celery, cut in small pieces, and serve on lettuce 

leaves. 

CHOICE RECIPES. 

Furnished by Kinsley^s. 

Bouillon. 

Lobster a la Newburg. 

Cutlet of Minced Sweetbreads. Fresh Mushrooms. 

Lettuce and Tomato Salad. 

Glace. Cake. 

Coffee. 

Bouillon. — Prepare a good soup stock by boiling 
vegetables with beef and bones; strain, skim and let cool; 
then chop fine one pound of lean beef, mix with half an 
onion sliced, half a carrot sliced, one bay leaf, one bunch 
of parsley, one stalk of celery and eight raw eggs. Mix 
all together thoroughly; then mix in one gallon of cold 
soup stock, two jiggers of sherry; put on fire, let come to 
a boil slowly (stir often, to prevent burning); if handled 
according to above directions, you will have a clear, 
sparkling consomme; strain through a napkin, season 
with salt, and serve hot in cups. 

Lobster a la Newburg. — For eight persons cut open 
four lobsters, and remove the meat from the shells; put 
the meat in water and keep cold; chop the shells and body 



CHOICE RECIPES. IOI 

of lobster; put in saucepan with one pint of water and 
one half a pound of butter, put on fire, cover tight and 
cook for forty minutes, then strain, and put the liquid in 
a cool place. The butter will now have the color and 
flavor of the lobster, and will come to the surface in a cool 
place and harden again. Take lobster from water, dry 
with napkin, cut in regular-sized pieces, add two dozen 
nice mushrooms, and put in saucepan. Put in another 
saucepan the. butter from the lobster. When melted stir 
into it one kitchen-spoonful of flour, then dilute with one 
and a half pints of hot cream, let boil, season with salt and 
pepper, finish with a liaison of three eggs and two jiggers 
of sherry, pour over the lobster and mushrooms, and 
serve very hot on toast, or in paper cases, or in Romaine 
cups . 

Cutlet of Sweetbreads. — Cut eight large blanched 
sweetbreads in small dice size pieces, and boil in stock 
with one sliced lemon for ten minutes; then strain the 
stock off the sweetbreads, remove the lemon, and mix the 
sweetbreads with one quart of Bechamel sauce, let boil, 
etc. ; season with salt, pepper and a little mace; finish with 
a liaison of six eggs and one-fourth pint of white wine and 
one-fourth pound of butter; spread this mixture in a pan 
to cool; when cold it should be firm; then shape into the 
form of croquettes, roll in fine bread crumbs, dip in beaten 
eggs, and roll in crumbs again, fry brown in plenty of hot 
fat and serve. 

Fresh Mushrooms. — Clean and peel the mushrooms 
and boil them in salted and acidulated water for about 
five minutes, if large ones, then spread out in a pan with 
melted butter and let fry; as soon as they show signs of 
browning, cover tightly and set in oven for ten minutes; 



102 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

they will be brown and yet done soft. Dish up the cro- 
quettes on plate, surround with mushrooms, and besprinkle 
all with a little chopped parsley, and serve very hot. 

CHOICE RECIPES. 

Furnished by Kinsley^s. 

MENU. 

Mutton Soup a la Cowley. 

Fried Shad Roe. 

Tomato Sauce. Cucumbers. 

Fillet of Beef, Braised. 

Potato Croquettes. Fresh Mushrooms. 

Lettuce and Tomato Salad. 

Ice Cream. Cake. 

Coffee. 

Mutton Soup a la Coivley. — Select a fleshy and not 
too fat rack of mutton; cut the spine, pare and shorten 
the ribs, and put in a soup pot with the parings and shoul- 
der of mutton three pounds of soup beef, a little salt and 
two and a half gallons of water; let all boil, scum, add 
two carrots, two turnips and one onion with four cloves 
stuck in it, a piece of garlic, two heads of celery, and a 
few peppercorns; cover and let boil for two hours; after 
taking out the rack and shoulder of mufton let the rest 
boil two hours longer, then remove all the fat and strain 
the stock through a wet napkin; in the meantime have 
cut in small squares two carrots, two turnips and a head 
of celery, and put them in a saucepan with two ounces of 
butter; fry slightly brown, add three quarts of broth, and 
let boil an hour; divide the rack into eight or more nicely 
cut chops, warm in a little boiling broth, and put in a soup 
tureen with one pint of barley boiled three hours and well 
drained; take off the fat from the soup, color with a little 
caramel, pour over the chops, and serve. 



CHOICE RECIPES. 103 

Fried Shad Roe, Tomato Sauce. — Select the quantity 
of shad roe wanted, put on plate, besprinkle with salt and 
pepper, a little lemon juice and olive oil, and keep in ice 
box till wanted, then wipe dry and roll in flour ; then dip 
in beaten eggs, roll in bread crumbs and fry in butter ; 
when brown, cover pan tightly, and set in warm oven for 
six minutes; then arrange on platter, garnish with parsley, 
and serve. Send tomato sauce in sauce-bowl. 

Fillet of Beef y Braised — Procure a good fillet of beef 
weighing about eight pounds, and, after nicely larding it, 
put it in a pan with spices and sliced vegetables, and 
moisten with one pint of claret. After covering it with a 
buttered sheet of paper, the pan should be placed in the 
oven to roast. When nearly done remove the paper and 
glace the fillet brown, and make a sauce from the drippings 
and serve with the fillet. 

Fresh Mushrooms. — In salad bowl dressed with 
French dressing. Quarter or slice the tomatoes, fill 
in center of bowl, cover with mayonnaise and serve. 

Potato Croquette. — After boiling ten large potatoes 
till they are done, drain and mash with three ounces of 
butter and the yolks of four eggs. Cool these mashed 
potatoes by spreading them out upon a plate, after which 
they can be formed into the shape of a croquette rolled 
in cracker meal, and dipped into beaten eggs. After 
rolling these croquettes once more in cracker meal, they 
should be fried brown in plenty of hot fat. They will be 
then ready to serve, which should be done upon a folded 
napkin. 

Lettuce and Tomato Salad. — Place between napkins 
in an ice box the lettuce required after it has been care- 
fully picked and washed. Peel the necessary number of 



104 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

tomatoes and keep them cool. When this dish is required 
at the table, dress the lettuce and arrange it. 

'.CHOICE RECIPES. 

Furnished by Kinsley's, 

MENU. 

Chicken Gombo. 

Brandade de Morue (Codfish). 

Cold Slaw. 

Boiled Potatoes. 

Spring Lamb. Mint Sauce. 

French Peas. New Potatoes. 

Broiled Snipe on Toast. 

French Artichokes. 

Dessert. Coffee. 

Gombo of Chicken. — Select a tender, fleshy and not 
too fat chicken; singe, draw and, cut in small pieces; put 
in a stew-pan three ounces of butter, with a chopped 
onion, and two ounces of ham cut in small squares; fry a 
little, add the chicken, stir and fry the whole slightly 
brown; sprinkle two ounces of flour over well, mingle 
well, dilute with three quarts of broth, add white and 
sweet Chili pepper, and a bunch of parsley; stir, boil, 
cover and cook slowly for forty minutes, skim off the fat, 
remove the parsley, let drop in the soup four tablespoon- 
fuls of gombo powder, stirring all the while, boil no longer, 
season to taste, and serve. 

Brandade de Morue. — Have four pounds of thick 
dry cod, take off the skin, cut the fish in pieces and soak 
in cold water for four hours, changing the water four 
or five times; put in cold water and cook slowly until 
very hot, but not boiling, for twenty minutes; drain, 
remove all the bones, put the fish in a saucepan and crum- 
ble with a wooden spoon; then move to the side of the 



CHOICE RECIPES. 105 

fire, add the juice of a lemon, and, little by little, about a 
pint of the best sweet oil, stirring vigorously all the while, 
and dropping a little milk in when the preparation becomes 
too thick; when this is done the brandade should be 
creamy and pretty consistent; finish with a little garlic 
and chopped parsley (if desirable) fried in a little oil, add 
a little salt and pepper if necessary, and serve with fresh 
boiled potatoes and a bowl of cold slaw. 

Roast Lamb. — Procure a quarter of lamb, trim and 
roast in a hot oven so as to be cooked through and nicely 
browned all around; make a gravy from the drippings in 
the pan, pour the gravy over the lamb, and serve with 
mint sauce in separate bowl. Chop one large bunch of 
green mint very fine, and mix with one pint of white wine 
vinegar and three-quarters of a pound of pulverized sugar; 
stir until thoroughly mixed, and serve. This sauce can 
also be boiled and cooled again to make a stronger mint 
flavor. Open two cans of French peas, wash in cold 
water, put in a saucepan with a piece of butter, salt and 
pepper and toss over a fire to become thoroughly hot, 
and serve. New Bermuda potatoes are best plain boiled; 
still, they are nice in cream sauce, or roasted a little and 
browned in good butter. 

Broiled Snipe on Toast. — Pick, singe and draw the 
number of snipes wanted, split open for broiling and 
wash the birds, season and broil quickly so as to be 
brown, still a little rare, baste frequently with butter, put 
the snipe on a piece of toast, serve a small piece of bacon 
with it, and send to table very hot. 

Fresh Artichokes. — This plant is coming to be 
known more this year than ever before, as you can buy 
the imported or smaller (the California dwarf) direct from 



106 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

California. Trim properly, boil in slightly salted and 
acidulated water; when done, drain and keep in cold 
water in ice box. When ready to serve, drain and pour 
over a French dressing, and serve one for each person. 

CHOICE RECIPES. 

Furnished by Kinsley *s. 

Julienne Puree. 

Fried Smelts. Cucumbers. 

Roulade of Spring Lamb. Mint Sauce. 

Browned Potatoes. New Asparagus. 

Brciled Teal Duck on Toast. 

Artichoke Salad. 

Ice Cream or Ices. Cake. Coffee. 

Julienne Puree. — Put in a saucepan one-quarter 
pound of butter and one large carrot, one-half turnip, one 
onion, one-quarter head of cabbage, all sliced very fine, 
and put in an oven for about forty minutes, then cover 
with stock and put on range to boil; add one can of peas, 
and slice or bone of ham, a little chopped celery and pars- 
ley, a few whole peppers; boil for one hour, then strain 
and rub through a fine sieve; put to boil again; add one 
pint of hot cream; finish with a liaison of three yolks of 
eggs and two jiggers of sherry; season to taste and serve. 
This is a good spring soup if made with new vegetables. 

Fried Smelts. — Clean, wash and wipe dry the amount 
of smelts wanted, then season with salt and pepper, dip in, 
melted butter, and roll in bread crumbs; fry brown quickly 
in hot butter, and cover the pan while finishing to fry, so 
as to keep the fish moist. Drain off all fat, and serve on 
folded napkin, garnished with lemons and parsley. 

Roulade of Spring Lamb. — Roast in quick oven so 
as to brown all over, then cover with buttered paper and 
cook through. Serve with sauce made from drippings in 
pan poured over it, and send mint sauce separate in bowl. 



CHOICE RECIPES. 107 

Boil some small potatoes, and, when nearly done, put in 
pan with the lamb andlet brown by basting them often. 

Roulade of Lamb. — Bone the shoulder, rib and loin 
part of a lamb, season with salt, pepper, roll nicely, tie 
with string, put in pan with sliced vegetables the bones 
from the lamb, one pint of stock, and remove the strings 
from the lamb; put on platter, surround with browned 
potatoes, pour sauce over it, garnish with mint; send to 
table hot. 

New Asparagus. — Trim and scrape the asparagus, 
parboil in salted water, then boil in slightly acidulated 
water till done; serve on toast with drawn butter poured 
over or a cream sauce made with the water in which the 
asparagus has been boiled. 

Broiled Teal Duck. — Pick, singe and clean the number 
of teal ducks wanted, split and lay open, season with salt 
and pepper, and broil a little rare, baste often with butter, 
and serve very hot with small strip of broiled bacon. 

Artichoke Salad. — Two cans of artichoke hearts will 
be enough for eight persons; take out eight of the arti- 
choke hearts, dip in French dressing, and arrange on 
salad plate; have under each artichoke a leaf of lettuce; 
take the remainder of the artichokes, cut in small dice 
pieces, mix with mayonnaise, and fill each of the eight 
artichokes with it; keep in ice box till wanted, and serve 
very cold. 

CHOICE RECIPES. 

Furnished by Kinsley's. 

Julienne Soup. 

Whitefish Nonpareil. 

Parisienne Potatoes. 

Roast Red Head Duck, with Jelly. 

Baked Sweet Potatoes. 

Steamed Apple Dumpling. 



108 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Julienne Soup. — Prepare a good consomme soup. 
Cut a carrot, turnip, onion, and one-eighth head of cab- 
bage in long, thin shreds ; mix all together, and put in a 
copper saucepan with one-quarter pound of butter, cover 
with an oiled paper, and then with the cover of the pan, 
and put in a hot oven for about an hour; then take out 
and boil in the consomme for twenty-five minutes, skim 
off the fat, season with salt and pepper, add one-half can 
of French peas and ateaspoonful of chopped parsley. 

White fish. — Split the whitefish, remove all the bones, 
and put the fish in a buttered pan, slice a small carrot, a 
lemon, and an onion, and put over the fish with a bay 
leaf a few whole peppers, and one pint of white wine ; 
cover with an oiled paper, and put in oven to cook through; 
put in saucepan one-half pound of butter, and, when 
melted, mix with one-third of a pound of flour and stir 
over a hot fire for a minute, dilute with the stock from the 
fish and enough hot water to make a nice sauce ; stir into 
it the yolks of three eggs and the juice of a lemon ; season 
to taste and strain ; put the fish on a platter, cover with 
sliced mushrooms, shrimps, and a few oysters, and strain 
the sauce over it, besprinkle with a little chopped parsley 
and serve; surround the fish with boiled Parisienne 
potatoes. 

Roast Duck. — Pick the required number of ducks dry, 
singe all the hair off, draw and cleanse thoroughly, truss, 
place in each duck a stalk of celery, and put in a pan to 
roast, baste often ; if required rare, twenty minutes in a 
hot oven is enough; send to table as soon as done, serve 
currant jelly separate and a dish of sweet potatoes, baked 
in butter so as to be brown all round ; steam the sweet 



CHOICE RECIPES. 109 

potatoes first until nearly done, then peel, and roast in 
butter. 

Dumplings. — Make a paste with a pound of flour, 
warm milk and one-half ounce of salt; roll out on floured 
table about one-eighth of an inch thick, and cut in six-inch 
square pieces; pare and core the amount of apples wanted, 
fill with powdered sugar, and put the apples in the center 
of each piece of paste, folding the corners over each apple; 
put in a steamer and steam one hour; serve sweetened 
cream with the dumplings. 

CHOICE RECIPES. 

Furnished by Kinsley's. 

Menu. 

Iced Bouillon. 

Fillet of Sea Bass. Cucumbers. 

Roast Spring Chicken, Stuffed. 

Green Peas. New Potatoes in Cream. 

Lettuce and Tomato Salad. 

Red Raspberries and Vanilla Ice Cream. 

Cake. Coffee. 

Iced Bouillon. — Prepare a good beef broth; clarify, 
and strain through a napkin, let become cold in a stone 
jar; then place in an ice box to cool more without freez- 
ing. Serve in cold cups. This makes a good soup for 
hot weather. 

Fillet of Bass. — Black sea bass are very good now. 
Cut two fillets out of each fish, season, roll in flour and 
fry slightly brown in butter; then cover frying-pan and 
place in oven for ten minutes. The fish will be thor- 
oughly cooked, at the same time not as crisp as fried fish 
generally comes to the table. 

Roast Spring Chicken. — Pick, singe and clean care- 
fully the number of chickens wanted; stuff, tie carefully, 



IIO FACTS FOR LADIES. 

and roast in medium hot oven; turn often so as to brown 
all around, but do not stick the fork in the meat, as the 
juice escapes very quickly; baste often when brown, cover 
with an oiled paper, keep in oven till done; serve with a 
thick sauce made from the drippings in pan; cover and 
let stand for five minutes; put in saucepan one-third 
pound good butter; when melted, mix with one-third cup- 
ful of flour, dilute with one and a half pints of boiling 
cream or milk; boil for a moment, season with salt and 
white pepper, and strain over potatoes; keep covered and 
hot, but do not boil any longer. 




RECEPTION HALL. 



HOUSE DECORATION. 



THE Orientals clothed themselves in colors. Their 
garments were decorated with figures which recorded 
events in their history, or, not unlike those that came 
after, were the products of imagination. Decoration 
came in with the creation. Long before the first architect 
dreamed of a structure, the inhabitants of the plains living 
in tents, had the material for their shelter " hand-painted," 
and the entrances to them were hung with draperies on 
which were symbols and history and poetry. 

We are given to speaking of the progression of the 
age in which we live. As a matter of fact, this age has 
only harmonized that which made the world beautiful 
when its Creator brought it from chaos and sent it revolv- 
ing in space to the music of the morning stars, which — 

" Sang o'er the rising ball. " 

In the course of time, when the tents of the plains 
had been folded and the peoples of those ages began to 
build, we find them decorating their houses with material 
and designs similar to those with which they wrapped 
themselves. 

The customs of the earth changed; the maps of the 
hemispheres have been altered by revolutions, and history 
has been written and forgotten. 

" A thousand years their 
Gloomy wings expand," 



112 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

and we find the women of our civilized era paying court 
to a carpet weaver to create something in colors and com- 
bination for wearing apparel, and, having adorned them- 
selves with the fabrics, they have " parted their raiment," 
and given parcels of it to festooning their homes, making 
them places of beauty and full of rest. 

Penelope was not unlike her sex of the present genera- 
tion. She never finished her web. That which she deftly 
did by day was torn and destroyed by night. She 
resumed her work in the morning with eagerness, and im- 
proved upon it by making it more elaborate and beautiful. 

The woman of the present generation removes to-day 
that which she used yesterday to make her home a picture. 
There is no continuity in decoration, and there should 
be none. " The house beautiful " would lose its reputa- 
tion for artistic interior if it remained always the same. 

I want my home made beautiful; adorn it lavishly 
as you may. What are the designs?" was the remark 
and interrogatory of a woman of refinement and wealth, 
to a man who has made a life-study of the work. 

" There are no designs," he replied. " Decoration," 
he continued, " is a thing of personality. No one road, 
though the thoroughfare may be a royal one, will lead to 
any one design, or school of decoration. There is every- 
thing to consider — paradoxical as it may sound, there is 
nothing to consider." 

He was right. 

Said another man whose study it is to make homes 
beautiful: " Who is your architect? Is he building for the 
purpose of sheltering you merely? or is he building with a 
view to decoration? Is the structure to be modern or 
ancient? Is it of brown stone, gray, block or pressed 



HOUSE DECORATION. I I 3 

brick? How are the rooms to be arranged? How many 
windows in your reception-room? how many in your 
parlor? how many in your library? What about the 
communications between them? " 

The gentleman to whom these queries were pro- 
pounded, answered, interrogatively: " Don't you think 
you are going back pretty far? " 

" Not at all," was the reply. " In fact, I began in the 
middle of the chapter. I should have asked you about 
the location of your lot. Is it on a corner? If so, which 
corner? And what is your front? What light will you 
get? Suppose, to come down to this first principle, your 
front is east or south, your light will be strong, will it not? 
Strong light calls for heavier shades than a light which is 
milder. If the location calls for heavier shades, it follows 
that you do not want your house to resemble anything 
that is light or fantastic." 

In a later conversation the decorator said: " What 
would you think if I told you that our concern has in the 
basement a rope and tackle for the purpose of elevating 
certain articles of furniture into houses? The architects 
have built the house in such a manner that ordinary furni- 
ture cannot be put through the entrances. I do not say 
that such a house cannot be decorated within. You can 
decorate anything. The realm of decoration is so wide 
that, it reaches the meanest abode. Why, you can make 
anything beautiful. Did you ever think of that? " 

HARMONY FOR THE EYE. 

Decoration is to the eye what music is to the ear. If 
there is a discordant note in the latter, its effect is such as 
to at once break the enchantment. If there is an over- 



114 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

attempt in decoration or a miscalculation in blending, the 
eye is so sensitive in its organism that it is offended. 

Bear in mind, there can be no decoration where there 
is no harmony. 

" Evidently," says madam, who is the high priestess 
of the temple that is to be decorated, " there must be a 
beginning. Granted that harmony is the beginning, the 
middle and the terminus of decoration. What next? I 
am here for ideas, no matter how much individuality there 
may be in decoration." 

And madam is quite right. Let us begin at the 
beginning — conceding that the lot is on any corner or in 
the middle of the block, and also conceding that the archi- 
tect has come up to the proper expectations. 

The decorator begins where the woodworker has 
left off. The lord of the manor, with the assistance of 
madam and the architect, have had the woodwork done 
according to their own ideas. It is light or dark, as they 
may have decided. It is of cherry or oak, or bird's-eye 
maple or mahogany. 

The decorator sees what it is, and he uses it as a 
basis for his work. If he is master of his work, he harmon- 
izes his hangings and drapings, and walls and friezes, and 
the general furnishings, with the woodwork. He must do 
this. While there may be individuality in the design, 
there must be one general rule governing the whole. So 
the musician makes the score of his creation. It has the 
element of harmony throughout; the movements thrown 
into score are the little designs and the filigree — the indi- 
viduality, so to express it. 

" There is one thing," said a gentleman who is au- 
thority in the work of beautifying, " which I would like to 



WOMAN S KINGDOM. 115 

impress upon the American people, and that is this: No- 
where on the face of the earth is there such wood as we 
grow in this country for decoration and the finish of our 
houses. There isn't any of the wood used in our houses 
which is not as susceptible of high finish and polish as any 
Parian marble that was ever quarried. There is no deco- 
ration which gives a home the same effect as these Ameri- 
can woods, I care not which one may be selected. I 
fancy," he continued, " that no sane man in this age of the 
world would allow a decorator to grain his wood. I must 
say that, so enthusiastic am I upon the matter of finishing 
homes in natural wood, that it seems to be running to the 
cheap and gaudy to see a room finished in Lincustra- 
Walton, or some other material that is showy, but never 
possessed of that beauty which accompanies durability. 
Nor would I advise any man to finish in white. You 
know there was a time when the interior had to be a glassy 
white or a dull. There is no demand for that any more. 
Good sense, to say nothing about taste, has relegated white 
to other places. Do not understand me as saying that a 
white and gold in the proper place, is not a handsome fin- 
ish and an effective one. You may have touches of it in 
your salon, if the other decorations are in harmony." 

WOMAN'S KINGDOM. 

The Home of the Heart — What Makes It the Sweetest and Dear- 
est Place'on Earth. 

I come now to that kingdom where women are 
queens — a kingdom which has no lines of royalty and 
no crests, and yet one that is more to the heart of woman 
than any realm of a titular dignitary. 

It is the home in which nations are educated. If 
it be true, and surely it is, that, though it be ever so 



Il6 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

homely, there is no place like home, what shall be said of 
the homes of refinement and culture of the present 
time? Surely there is a field in this decorating of the 
homes in which women may have the proudest distinction. 
It is here where she may elaborate to the utter content- 
ment of her own nature; here she may bring to bear the 
little conceits, the pretty things which creep out from the 
nooks and corners, the surprises from the hitherto neg- 
lected spots. Here she sits, like Penelope, again creating, 
though the work be destroyed the next hour. She beau- 
tifies more than ever after the destruction. Here there is 
nothing in which ingenuity cannot hold revel. There is 
nothing too elaborate — there is nothing too simple to turn 
into something that peeks out at an unexpected moment, 
in an unexpected nook. 

A lady in Chicago who has a knack of making an 
ensemble of simple things, took a cast-away shoe of her 
baby, and bronzed it. Into the opening she inserted a 
brass bucket — a tiny one, which cost her three cents — and 
this was put on the writing desk of her husband, and into 
it he knocks the ashes of his cigars. 

Let me enter the house beautiful, and take up its 
beauties, those that are elaborate. Come with me in the 
exploration of this field, that has such limits that any 
woman may find in them somewhere a sphere adapted to 
herself. 

THE RECEPTION HALL. 

Let us enter the house at once. Here is the recep- 
tion hall. 

It is the same with your house as it is with your 
newly formed acquaintance. The first impression is the 




RECEPTION HALL. 



THE RECEPTION HALL. 117 

most lasting. It is not always the most correct. But the 
general rule governs. 

Look to it that your guest, as he crosses the thresh- 
old, and enters your reception hall, feels that he is already 
at home, though he knows further progress is barred. 

There are opportunities for making a reception hall 
cozy and inviting, in the manner of adorning the walls 
and ceilings. There should always be a suggestion of 
warmth and cheeriness in this entrance to a home. These 
effects are obtained in tones of color which we get in wall 
papers, and, of course, which can be produced in all man- 
ner of tinting of the walls and frescoing. It is also pro- 
duced in textile goods. The woodwork introduces very 
largely antique oak, birch, red oak, and red and white oak. 

If it is decided to carpet the reception hall, stair and 
stair-landing, moderate-sized figures in body Brussels and 
Wilton offer very strong and effective furnishings in rug 
designs which are taken from Oriental rugs, the facsimile 
both in color and almost in every particular. There are 
Wilton carpets which are perfect reproductions, in design 
and colorings, of existing rugs which are recognized as 
very rich and rare rugs. Outside of the Oriental designs 
offered for carpets, small figures in damask effect are con- 
sidered particularly desirable. 

In hangings, as before intimated, there is a wide field, 
for reception hall and reception-room alike. There is the 
double-faced plain velours, which give two different effects 
of coloring. We find antique blue upon one side and old 
rose upon the other. We find gold and bronze, and 
mahogany and copper tones of color. In fact, in the 
velour line, there is quite a variety of fashionable tones of 
color, which arrange themselves amongst the best lines of 



Il8 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

stuff offered for this work. These plain velours, when 
coming single-faced, can be used to contrast one with the 
other > and can be decorated with French metal ornaments, 
which come in great variety, and make strong, rich, pleas- 
ing furnishing effects. The plain Amure and satin sheet- 
ings are also used in the same manner. French tapestries 
are one of the finest styles of hangings that can be pos- 
sibly offered for hall work, and they come in rich, beauti- 
ful tones of color, and in designs and colorings becoming 
the situation. 

THE DRAWING-ROOM. 

The drawing-room is French. So is the salon. With 
us, in general, it is the reception-room or the parlor. 
There are houses where we find a salon and a parlor, or a 
parlor and a reception-room, or a drawing-room and a 
parlor. 

In the more exclusive circles it is, perhaps, safe to 
say " drawing-room " is proper or takes precedence. 

There is a recollection about " drawing-room " which 
is pleasing. It runs back to the last days of the kingdom, 
and the daylight of the empire. 

It is the room where there is an oblivion to the 
" fluctuations and vast concerns " as well as the annoying 
perplexities of life. It is where the very best part of us 
comes to the surface. It is the throne of the home. It 
is where words are weighed and where actions are com- 
plete with harmony, where language, whatever it may be, 
is gloved, and where the tout ensemble is, as our own 
Oliver Wendell Holmes would say, " Rainbow-scarfed and 
diamond-crowned. " 

Women love it for its freedom from cares and for the 
conquests which it offers. Men bow to it, for it is where 



THE DRAWING-ROOM. 119 

they are measured, and where they triumph or fail. It is 
this place, to come a little nearer to every-day parlance, 
where we " pass master. " 

What will you make it? 

The English renaissance and the medieval are too 
heavy. They produce an atmosphere of gloom, and that 
splendid glitter which assembles there would be in eclipse 
surrounded by either of the styles referred to. 

To be explicit and brief, the drawing-room is deli- 
cate, intricate and elaborate. There should be subtle 
proportions, " the daintiest of handiwork and the fairest of 
colors ? " 

It is for evening almost exclusively — not necessarily; 
but it is oftener seen under the chandelier's light than in 
daylight. Cream white and gold stand the test of arti- 
ficial light. 

You will see to it that in this room there is nothing 
that would make one think of comparison. In a word, 
let it be as clean cut as the masts of a vessel in the 
face of a setting sun, taking care, of course, that nothing 
severe appears. It can be and must be something 
elegant. 

As it is no place for lounging, it would seem that in 
the drawing-room proper there should be no easy-chairs. 

The hangings will be rich and light. Let us say that 
the light from the window should be mellowed, restful 
and dreamy ; by night, subdued, not glaring. 

You may rest assured, that, in forming the room 
where your company shall be entertained, nothing will 
give you complete satisfaction. " No pent-up Utica " 
contracts you here; no bank account, no taste, no com- 
bination will ever rest and "cry hold, enough," in the 



120 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

completion of this room. Do not misunderstand this. It 
is not to be inferred that splendors are essential. 

" Full many a gem of purest ray serene, 
The dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear, " 

and many a bright and charming drawing-room has 
left a lasting impression upon the mind of the guest, 
because of its simplicity and the harmonious arrangement 
of its contents. 

Still, no woman was ever content unless she dreamed 
of what she would like to have. Is it out of place to say, 
between the lines, that discontent invariably follows pos- 
session ? 

I believe that the majority of intelligent women 
will admit that Mrs. Cleveland is complete mistress of all 
that beautifies and makes a home complete. " She has 
recently furnished a home of her own," is the way a New 
York newspaper put it. And here is a description in 
brief of her drawing-room: 

" It is finished off in white and gold. Mrs. Cleveland 
has made it an oddly pretty room by furnishing it in 
colonial style. No two pieces in the room are of the same 
pattern, though mostly in mahogany, and, with the ex- 
ception of the piano, which is modern, no article is less 
than a century old. Even the rugs on the polished hard- 
wood floor have softened the steps of slippered feet for 
ten or fifteen decades. " 

These antiquated articles, however, are not at the 
command of every one. 

There are other designs for furnishing and decorating 
such a room — did I say other designs? Where do 
they end ? 



THE DRAWING-ROOM. 121 

Let us proceed at once to consider one: 

There is an agreeable effect in woodwork, either 
white or ivory white, either perfectly plain or with lines 
of gold, in contrast with the hard woods of the other 
rooms in the house. It also takes soft and pleasing tints 
of color for the side walls and ceiling of the room. For 
the side walls and ceiling, plain papers are used, with bold 
contrasting friezes in soft tones of color, and the ceiling is 
done to harmonize; or, the side walls may be frescoed — 
also the ceiling — in soft tones of color, cream predomi- 
nating. Light rose, pale, delicate blues, and soft ivory 
tints, are offered for the predominating tones of color to 
be used in this work. If textile goods are used upon the 
side walls, soft tones of color are offered in French damask 
silks or in medium weight French damask goods ; in all 
silk, or silk and cotton, or silk and worsted — to be used 
from the base-board to the picture-rail — placed upon the 
wall as paper is, flat and plain, and, if a frieze, done in 
colors to harmonize with that material. The ceilings are 
also done in colors to complement the side walls. 

The window and door hangings are made from 
material to associate with the wall work, and must either 
be in the same class of goods in contrasting colors, or can 
be in solid colors to contrast with figured wall work. To 
illustrate: If the figured silk damask is used on the side 
walls in ivory blue, you should use on the windows and 
doors the same figured damask in contrasting colors with 
the wall work, say old rose and ivory. 

The portieres on the doors can harmonize or can 
contrast both the walls and the window curtains. Plain 
materials might suggest themselves for the portieres, 



122 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

embroidered and arranged to harmonize with both walls 
and window, making a rich and harmonious effect. 

Regarding the furniture, let it be moderate, over- 
stuffed furniture in the way of softness; one or more 
arm-chairs, a lady's chair or two for the larger pieces of 
furniture; satin damask, silk and tapestry, French velour, 
or in paneled pieces of tapestry, which come in soft and 
beautiful colors, and appropriate styles of designs could be 
used without the woodwork showing. 

If woodwork is used, it would suggest itself to be 
woodwork to harmonize with the room. 

If the room is white and gold, the furniture should be 
white and gold, or, if it is cream and gold, the furniture 
should be cream and gold; or the woodwork might be all 
gold, in positive contrast with the woodwork. In case 
white, the woodwork is cream and gold, you would cer- 
tainly introduce a light hard wood, such as bird's-eye 
maple; and white mahogany would be considered a par- 
ticularly desirable style of wood for the parlor. 

The mantel should also be handled in the same man- 
ner as the furniture of the room, being made to comple- 
ment the woodwork of the room proper, or made to 
match the prominent furnishing features of the room, 
such as the chairs, and possibly the piano, if one is used 
in the parlor. 

The pedestal or center table, or ornamental side table, 
should also be in the same school of coloring or design. 
Onyx is introduced favorably in tables, stands and pedes- 
tals ; also in the mantel, which offers a very desirable 
feature to associate with this class of work. 

Gold and silver and oxidized silver are suggested for 
the chandeliers. 



THE DRAWING-ROOM. 1 23 

There is a tendency sometimes to make the reception- 
room a sort of combination, to throw into it a certain 
disorder — to be a little plainer, to make it a place for 
everybody — bohemia, if you please. 

There are women who are social and literary at the 
same time. They like the appearance of people who are 
making a stir in the world, and love to bring such within 
the radius of their home. 

They do not care for the Louis XVI. style, nor for the 
silks and satins, and the luxurious upholstery which 
marks the ease, elegance and refinement of the strictly 
social and domestic woman. 

I have a friend in Paris who sends me a description of 
the reception-room of a woman who is such an one as is 
referred to. She writes: 

" I have been to call on , who lives in a small 

hotel. I must tell you something about her reception- 
room, where I met some artists and poets and some of 
the literary lights of Paris. 

" The room hasn't the benefit of the artificial light of 
your homes in Chicago. Its principal light comes through 
a bay window, which swells into a court. This bay win- 
dow is draped with tapestries. The walls of this room 
are tapestried with scarlet stuffs almost hidden by pictures, 
medallions, bronzes, enamels and faience. The furniture 
is curious and antique, of all styles, and from all countries. 
Some is in massive wood, turned, incrusted with mother- 
of-pearl, ivory and marquetry. 

" I saw some large blue Japanese vases as tall as a man, 
and in these were palms and bamboos. I saw some flag- 
ons and great goblets in carved silver and incrusted gold, 
crowns of gold and silver laurel leaves. 



124 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

" On a credence-table was a collection of curious little 
mechanical dolls, dressed in rags, and representing popu- 
lar types. Opposite was a chest, of which the top is 
covered with small antique bronzes, ivory Japanese 
objects and Tonagra statuettes, antique enamels, old ivory 
hunting horses, and poniards with engrossed handles. 

" Scattered about the room were all sorts of exotic 
things: Indian masks, Chinese screens and stuffed birds. 
In one corner was a gilded cage, in which were tropical 
birds pluming themselves. Fancy that. How odd that 
would seem in the reception-room of one of your Chicago 
society women. There were some unfinished busts here 
and there, for the woman is something of a sculptress. 
On the floors and on the backs of chairs, were skins of 
soft-fur tigers, panthers, wild-cats, lynx, beavers and 
white fox, and on a large divan two great white bear 
skins, making a royal couch for her, who, in her lonelier 
hours, stretches out on them, amid heliotrope-colored 
silk curtains embroidered with gold. In this room she 
receives, and, to be candid with you, there was a bit of 
abandonment about it which was delightfully intoxicating 
at the time, although I fancy you and I would tire of it 
if it were offered every day." 

CARPETS OR RUGS. 

The debate as to what is most appropriate, the car- 
pet or rugs, for the parlor or drawing-room, is not yet 
closed. The disputants on either side have produced 
good arguments, and, at the time this work goes to press, 
there has been no edict furnished by any authority as to 
what shall govern. There is, it must be confessed, a 
finish about a room that is carpeted which will never pre- 



THE LIBRARY. 125 

sent itself to the eye where rugs are used. Per contra, 
there is a luxury and Oriental ease and beauty about an 
arrangement of costly rugs, or even one rug, which one 
will never find in a carpet. 

But suppose you decide that it shall be a carpet. 
Scotch Axminsters offer rich and effective furnishing, owing 
to their soft and luxurious effect of color, and the richness 
of pile. The Wiltons and velvets are also rich and beau- 
tiful. The extra quality of Moquettes offers soft and beau- 
tiful tones of color, and makes rich carpets. 

It is proper to cover the entire floor of the drawing- 
room or parlor whenever carpets are used. If there is a 
hard-wood floor, and you wish to make a rug carpet or 
introduce an Oriental rug, you can do so by leaving a fair 
margin or edge of woodwork showing around the room. 

THE LIBRARY. 

Dreams, books, are each a world ; and books, we know, 
Are a substantial world, both, pure and good; 
Round these, with tendrils strong as flesh and blood, 
Our past time and our happiness will grow. 

So wrote Wordsworth in his " Personal Talk." He 
wrote before the commercial age, but the sentiment lives 
after him. There is no complete home without a library. 
It is an era of books, and, of the purchasing of them it 
may be as truthfully said, there is no end, as it was truth- 
fully said in the beginning, " of the making of books there 
is no end." 

It is no part of this work to indicate what books you 
shall place upon the shelves in your library. What was 
said of Lord Byron is true of the present generation, 
" What books he wished to read he read." 



126 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

I take it for granted that the intelligent man and 
woman of to-day need no instruction on this point. 

There is one thing which comes to every one who 
has books — a care for them. You will learn to love your 
books as the frosts fall upon you. There is nothing in a 
man's house, after his wife and children, about which his 
affections will cling as tenderly as his books. There will 
come, in the life of every one, in spite of affluence, an 
hour when he will feel an inclination to commune with him- 
self. A time when he will wish for the laughter in the halls to 
cease; a time when the wit of the salon will lose its effect; 
when the grand piano is still. A time when he will not 
sleep, woo he it ever so graciously. 

In such an hour he seeks the rest which only the 
library furnishes. He holds communion with the masters 
who have illuminated the world. He may not bend the 
knee at court; but it is his to sit down and listen to the 
loftiest inspiration, and to be a child at the shrine of wis- 
dom. 

Here the mother gathers her jewels about her and 
instils into their minds the thoughts which travel with 
them in the years that follow. Here, when " daylight is 
done," there is surcease from care and the fluctuations 
and vast concerns of life's busy map. 

Make it complete. It is the sanctuary of your home. 
Let it have your tenderest care. It will come to you like 
a benediction oftener than you may be willing to admit. 
So far as the things of this world are concerned, " Have 
no other gods before " this. 

Do not hide your books. Next to the face of your 
wife and your children, let the faces of your books look 
down upon you, and do you look up to them. A man 



THE LIBRARY. 1 27 

who would hide a book would put a mask on his wife's 
face. 

Let your book-cases have glass doors. This not only- 
permits them to be seen, but affords them protection. 
The arrangement is a matter of taste entirely. You 
would hardly put fiction on the same shelf with your 
books on science and theology. 

There ought to be a table and a desk in this sanctu- 
ary, of course. And what a countless assortment you 
have at hand from which to make your selection. Do not, 
I pray of you, be niggardly in the matter of furnishing 
this holy of holies. It is the intellectual dome of the uni- 
verse. Let it be clothed with a livery that is stately. 
Don't, to use a homely coinage, put any ginger-bread 
work in this room. Don't permit anything, not even the 
paper-weight upon the desk, nor the paper cutter, to have 
the impress of anything that is grotesque, or anything that 
would in the slightest be suggestive of levity. 

Don't go to the other extreme and make it a cave of 
Adullam. 

Let the floor be covered with something which will 
deaden all sound. It may be a rug or a carpet. How 
did you furnish the vestibule hall in this respect? But 
whether rug or carpet, get the best. A house-furnisher 
says: " A rug is certainly the desirable thing, or rug 
design in a carpet of body Brussels or Wilton." 

The woods which offer themselves as most desirable 
for the library are the natural cherry, birch and oak. 
Generally a wood is used in contrast with the hall, dining- 
room and parlor, to be an agreeable contrast with the 
other woods of the house. This applies to the wood-work 



128 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

of the room proper, the table, chairs and book-cases which 
are all done in the same wood. 

The library is a particularly desirable place to introduce 
goods in printed form or in woven stuffs, for side walls, also 
in printed velvets. There are wall papers which also come 
in soft, beautiful tones of color and make an unusually 
good effect. 

Tapestries which are in strong, heavy lines of color, 
and are bold and effective in design for the colorings for 
the hall, make beautiful portieres. There are embroider- 
ies which come on linen, cotton and silk, also a plain silk, 
for hangings, such as table-spreads, scarfs, and all forms 
and styles of decoration. Likewise, embroidery for por- 
tieres and window-hangings, which are among the most 
beautiful of embroidered curtains. 

The writing-desk of Charles Dickens stood in a bay- 
window at Gad's Hill. Only people who think when they 
read and write, can adequately understand how appro- 
priate this is. As he lifted his eyes occasionally from his 
work, and looked out upon the meadows and the distant 
beauties of the landscape, how often did the novelist 
catch fresh inspirations and bring them to him in troupes, 
as if they were children — and they were children, chil- 
dren of his fancy; such creations as do not come to every 
one in this world. 

The desk in the window is one of the most charm- 
ing suggestions for the library. I find that the idea is 
becoming what, for something better, our best people 
call a fad. Strange they never thought of it before, 
Here is a description of one of these window-desks, 
which will show how the idea maybe enlarged upon, and, 
as the description is from the pen of a gifted woman, it 



THE LIBRARY. 1 29 

will have a hundred per cent, value to the readers of this 
book. She says: " I have recently seen the most charm- 
ing adaptation of the window-desk idea, to a corner treat- 
ment. First of all, a heavy curtain hangs on a rod, which 
crosses the corner and cuts it off from draughts, and 
secures privacy. Then a triangular board of medium size, 
rounded in front, is fitted into the angle, resting on small, 
iron supports. Above this are two shelves, also trian- 
gular, held in place by iron brackets, bronzed; on these 
stand handy books of reference. To the left, in such a 
position that its rays fall directly on the desk, is a wall- 
lamp in a bronzed holder, and right under it hangs a 
pretty calendar. A comfortable writing-chair stands in 
front of the board; to the left a waste-basket; to the right, 
a book-rest, holding an open cyclopaedia. The curtain 
may be looped to one side, and a screen placed so as to 
let in light from over it, while it secures to the scrib- 
bler that feeling of snugness, without which the mind 
plays truant with the task in hand." 

I recently met a prominent lawyer of Chicago, who 
had spent ten days at Gad's Hill, the home of Dickens. 
In his charming description he said: " Of course the chief 
interest to me of the place was his library. In looking it 
over I was shown what Dickens had labeled his ' Mock 
Library.' What do you think it was? Imitations of books, 
on the backs of which he had their titles. Some were the 
titles of his own novels. Some were named for some of 
the characters in his novels. I thought, as I looked them 
over, what an amusing pastime this work must have 
afforded dear old Dickens." 

It will be creditable to your intelligence to suggest 



130 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

as many for your library, always remembering that they 
should be appropriate, as you can find places for them. 

Where else would an inscription be more appropriate? 

There is no apology necessary for asking so much 
of your time to this essay, if you may call it that, on the 
library. If you have one, you will agree that the only 
criticism to be made is that the essay is not longer. 

THE DINING-ROOM. 

Where the Master Meets His Family and Friends and Makes the 
Welcome Double. 

You may have met your guest in the cheery vestibule 
hall and given him the right hand; you may have received 
him in your salon with its rococo, renaissance, early En- 
glish, old Dutch or colonial furnishings; he may have 
enjoyed the subdued richness of some Persian design, " or 
the light-loving colors of Arabia," or the Louis XVI. sets. 
The perfume of your conservatory may have intoxicated 
his senses until he dreamed of the tropics, and he may have 
enjoyed the restfulness of the guest's chamber until it car- 
ried him homeward in his sleep. 

But you have not entertained him until he has sat at 
your table. The breaking of bread was the first rule of 
hospitality. The history of nations and feasts are closely 
interwoven. Beauty and wit sit down together on state 
occasions in the banquet hall. 

Some of the conventionalities of the salon may be 
broken over with propriety in the dining-room. It is the 
neutral ground of the house. It is the dining-room, and 
all which appertains thereto, that tightens up the cords of 
friendship, and makes good will among men and women. 
Here is the glow of home. There is no mistaking the 



THE DINING-ROOM. 131 

good intentions of this apartment if they are in existence. 
If a man is not at home here he will not be anywhere. 
From this precinct he goes out and realizes the full mean- 
ing of the couplet: 

Fate cannot harm me, 
I have dined to-day. 

You have, in advance, prepared your menu, and your 
table is arranged. If these are not satisfactory, granting 
that your better nature is at peace with all the world, you 
may be sure that the reason may be found in the fact that 
your architect and decorator have not done their work. 

If there is anything in the construction of your dining- 
room that smacks of the dainty or delicate, have it removed. 

You will never enjoy a dinner there, and your epicu- 
rean friend will go away from your presence with the feel- 
ing that " one thing thou lackest." 

A gentleman who had seen the world, returned home 
and built him a mansion. Its furnishing was complete. 
The architect and the decorator left the house just as the 
owner's heart and taste had desired it. Some time after 
its occupancy a friend from one of the European capitals 
was his guest. This guest was a man who knew by intu- 
ition, education and observation, precisely what was 
required to make a house complete. 

On the termination of his visit the host said: " I want 
your candid opinion about my house." 

The guest thus appealed to replied , " You have no 
dining-room, therefore you have no house." 

The dining-room, had been neglected. There had 
been no proper arrangement for light. The wood about 
the walls and ceilings were delicate. It was a child's idea 
of a play-house. The owner, in the first place, was a 



132 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

man who did not give much thought to that most 
delightful enjoyment of lingering at his table. He had 
never read the " Autocrat of the Breakfast Table." He 
became disconsolate over the mistake and disposed of his 
house at a sacrifice. 

There should be something rugged in the character 
of the dining-room. The wood-work overhead should 
have in it something suggestive of strength and durability. 
It should be native wood, and not light wood either. 
Antique oak, cherry, black walnut or mahogany are the 
ones most generally selected by people who understand 
what is proper. It is a matter of taste about its arrange- 
ment; that is to say, you may have it carved into as 
many fantastic shapes as the carver may have ideas; or 
it may be plain, with a high polish, of course. 

What need to say that the other wood-work in this 
room should accord with the ceiling? 

The location of the house may be such as to preclude 
the bay-window. But your good taste will receive no 
compliments if you fail to have such a window in this 
room. It is the basis of your decoration. We do not say 
that it is an essential, but if you are constructing your own 
house you will see to it that this protruding window is in 
this room. 

It is the perspective of this apartment. It is the foun- 
tain where the birds sing; where the light is toned to any 
degree, and the retreat where the guest may rest his eye, 
it it wearies of your decorations. 

In this room there is invariably a hard-wood floor, and 
it follows that you will invariably use rugs. These are the 
Turkish and Oriental ; also domestic rugs, which, of course, 
come much cheaper than any of the foreign or Oriental rugs. 



THE DINING-ROOM. I 33 

The furnishing of the room pertaining to the dining- 
table, sideboard and chairs, and other pieces of furniture, 
is all introduced to match the doors and wainscoting and 
other interior wood-work of the room. The woods mostly 
used at the present time are the antique oak, birch, black 
walnut, mahogany and other hard woods. 

For portieres and hangings for the doors, it would be 
a nice idea to introduce rug portieres. The styles most used 
for portieres are Kiss-Kalum, Karamanie rugs. Regard- 
ing other materials, which are also appropriate, there are 
plain velours and figured velours; also tapestries and heavy 
damask goods, which come in strong, rich colorings, 
becoming the dining-room. 

Regarding the wall work, there is a great variety of 
desirable styles offered. There are printed tapestries 
which come in dull, rich effects, and which make beautiful 
and effective side walls. The chairs are done in leather, 
either plain, illuminated or embossed, in colorings to match 
the room. Velours and tapestries are also used for 
upholstering the chairs. The table-cover for dressing the 
table when not in use, is something that can be made very 
dressy and effective by adapting some sort of Turkish rug 
stuff, the margin to conform to the size of the table; or, a 
regular made velour or tapestry table-cover; and, further, 
an embroidered cover made from satin sheeting or plain 
velour, or heavy reps goods, which comes in solid colors, 
and which can be bought in the strong, rich and effective 
designs, and made to harmonize with the general effect 
already produced in the room. 

Regarding the side walls, in case plain leathers are 
used, panel off with ornamental French nails in bronze 
or metallic tones of color. Papier-mache, and other bold 



134 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

relief stuffs which come in this line of decoration, are also 
used. 

The sideboard in your dining-room is a matter of 
taste, taking it for granted that, by this time, you have 
had the idea of harmony permanently anchored in your 
mind. Having conformed this to the wood-work of your 
room, it is for you to say how elaborate the sideboard 
may be. There is a wilderness of sideboards, and the 
decoration of them is endless. 

It is not the intention of this work to make any indi- 
vidual citations. There are myriads of mansions and 
myriads of dining-rooms, and each differs from the other 
" as one star in glory differeth from another. " The follow- 
ing description, however, of a dining-room just furnished 
by one who is universally credited with great taste and 
refinement, deserves a permanent niche. The writer says 
of this dining-room : 

" It is a place where the epicure would feel at home, 
and even the surfeited would find an appetite. Its pur- 
pose can be gleaned from the Scotch blessing, carved deep 
in. the black oak chimney-piece : 

" Some hae meat and canna eat, 

And some wad eat that want it ; 
But we hae meat, and we can eat, 

And say, ' The Lord be thankit.' 

" The dining-table is a pre-revolutionary relic from 
Maryland, and was imported from England long before the 
Stamp Act was passed. The chairs are also of mahogany, 
and are exact copies of a set that Voltaire once had in his 
house in Paris. The sideboard — mahogany, inlaid with 
light wood — is from England, and has held the good 



THE DINING-ROOM. 135 

things of earth for over a hundred years. Two fine deer 
heads, mounted, hang upon the walls." 

I had occasion during investigations to meet a worthy 
gentleman to whom I propounded this question: " What 
is the most approved table for a dining-room?" 

The gentleman smiled and replied, " I never knew of 
but one appropriate style of table for a dining-room — the 
round. Of course, there used to be the extension table, 
but it has gone out of date, and the round table has taken 
its place." 

This is hardly the place to provoke any controversy, 
but the gentleman certainly spoke from the point where 
his observation last rested. 

There has just been introduced into the dining-rooms 
of those who insist upon the latest, the three-cornered 
table. And it is already voted to be the most sensible 
table that ever contributed to a " flow of soul." 

The hostess sits at the angle, and the host half-way 
between the two lower corners, facing her. *By this 
arrangement the guests are evenly divided between their 
entertainers, and close enough to either to include them 
in the conversation. A low-massed floral decoration is 
the appropriate center-piece. 

At a dinner recently served at such a table, there was 
a low bank of violets, edged with ferns, and at each plate 
an odd-shaped basket of gilded Japanese bamboo, filled 
with the sweet purple blossoms. The cloth was of the 
finest linen, with an elaborate pattern in drawn work, the 
undercloth being pink silk. 9 

The three-cornered table is destined for awhile to 
succeed the round table. 

On the mantel in the dining-room there is suchan op- 



136 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

portunity for the display of decorated china, or of a 
bronze figure — something suggestive of the chase. If 
you wish to go further, an archwork of wood may curve 
its way to the ceiling, and in the center of this, no design 
is prettier, and at the same time more useful, than a clock. 
If it be an old style make, nothing will be lost. The 
swinging of a pendulum stroking down the flight of time, 
with its " forever-never, never-forever " language, is a 
movement that will not in the least detract from the inter- 
est around the board. 

A suggestion for the general furnishing of a dining- 
room — from a well known decorator — makes an appro- 
priate closing for this chapter. He said: 

" Let the velours and reliefs be rich and elaborate, 
thus giving what such a room should have — dignity and 
repose. The designs may be in varying shades of brown 
and gold, with coppery and iridescent gleams. The chief 
section of the wall is a very broad frieze. The ground, 
light, warm brown, shot with wavering parallel lines -of 
coppery gold; over this, a raised pattern of circling and 
trailing ribbons of brown and gold sea-weed, coiled in the 
round openings of a lobster net, and tangled in its meshes. 
Below this, and separated from it by a band of embossed 
sea-shells and sea-weeds on a dull, gold ground, is the nar- 
row wall space, covered with the cords of a fish net, through 
which may be seen small fishes and prawns darting among 
golden sea-weed. The dado is deep brown and yellow in 
color, heavily embossed, and of a strong, simple geometric 
design. Above the frieze, a broad border oflarge, brown 
fishes, some with golden scales, leaping through the swell- 
ing lines of conventionalized waves. The velvety velours 
are on both the walls and the ceiling. The latter is cov- 




'/ i 1 M — — " " w • 



_j 



THE DINING-ROOM. 137 

ered with the twisting, tangled meshes of a vast fish-net, 
creamy white in color, on a brown ground; around its 
edges are strong cords and floats, and here and there 
shreds of sea-grasses of metallic luster waving in slender 
curves." 

We shall never tire of the grate or the fire-place. 
Our grandfathers used the latter as a necessity. We 
adopt it as a decoration. You saw it nestling under the 
mantel as you came into the house — in the reception-hall. 
Do not make the mistake, that having it there, it should 
not meet the eye elsewhere. Let your children have it 
in the dining-room. Let your guest see it as he is the 
recipient of your hospitality. It will impress itself upon 
him pleasantly as he goes away. If it be winterand your 
fancy should suggest a bit of warmth in this grate, so much 
the better. If it be summer, you can make it the 
receptacle for so many designs. You can bank it with 
flowers; you can make it a retreat for ferns. It can be 
put behind a screen of your own, or any make. About 
it you can gather a colony of bright things in brass. The 
fender and the fire-irons and the scuttle make a pretty 
effect for the eye. Swing a tea-kettle from a crane, and 
your immagination will hear the kettle sing; and ifyou care 
to throw about the opening something in the way of drap- 
ings, and you are the least bit inclined to be poetical, you 
may almost imagine that the gypsies are camping about. 

The mantel above the grate may have a quotation 
inscribed upon it. These quotations, by the way, are 
quite proper in any room in the house. The idea suggests 
familiarity with authors. And what a pretty idea it is! 

You have Dickens speaking in the dinning-room ; 
Thackeray reminds you, at the entrance of the house, that 



I3§ FACTS FOR LADIES. 

he is still living; Holmes is as talkative as ever in the 
guest chamber; and, Longfellow nestles down before 
you in the living-room, as he did in his own dear old 
home, when — 

The evening lamps are lighted, 
And, like phantoms grim and tall, 
Shadows from the fitful fire-light 
Dance upon the parlor wall. 

And so on, wherever you may conduct your guests, 
you come in contact with song and sentiment of the 
departed. 

THE GUEST-CHAMBER. 

Every woman has somebody, who, living at a dis- 
tance, pays her a visit. She comes to stay a fortnight or 
a season. She is tired when she arrives. The welcome 
at the lintel of the vestibule may have been of that cor- 
dial kind which warms the blood about the cockles of the 
heart. But the visitor can never feel completely at home 
under your roof until she has been shown into " her " 
chamber — the room which you have prepared for her. 

You leave her for a few moments to arrange her 
luggage and look after those little things which are exclu- 
sive to every woman, no matter how intimate she may be 
with her hostess. It is in that hour, or piece of an hour, 
that your guest decides in her heart whether she is really 
welcome. 

There is an easy-chair in the proper place, into which 
she sinks, and a momentary oblivion envelops her. Then 
she opens her eyes, and they fall upon a narrow paneled 
space between the fireplace and the mantel of the room — 



THE GUEST-CHAMBER. I 39 

or in some other place — and upon this she sees an inscrip- 
tion: 

" Tunm Est." 

As an American humorist said, " That's Latin," and 
it means in English: 

" IT IS YOURS." 

If your guest has been much of a traveler, or if she 
has been much of a reader, this simple inscription will 
convey her back to Spain, and she will have her little 
dream of the proverbial hospitality of that polite nation, 
where the host always says to his guest, " The house is 
yours, senor. " 

It is such a simple thing, and means so much — this 
genuine hospitality. 

When Bayard Taylor, the greatest of American trav- 
elers in his day — though many since his time have trav- 
eled further and seen more — was about to say adieu to 
Sir Walter Scott, who had entertained him with such 
simplicity and such hospitality, the historian, novelist and 
poet followed Mr. Taylor to the gate, and, taking his hand, 
said, " I will not say good-bye, for that is a word that 
always makes me sad. But I will say, come again and 
enjoy my hospitality." 

I have devoted some extra time in arriving at a 
design the most suitable for this guest-chamber. Of 
course, in this, as in other apartments, there is a field 
without limit. There are ideas and fads without number. 
But from the whole I have selected one which is at this 
writing unique and a bit novel, and at the same time it is 
not expensive. Here it is: 

The woodwork is painted in a dull olive green, with 



140 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

little lines of gold around the panels in the doors, and 
other lines in the trim of the windows and door casings. 
The bed and dresser are of malachite finish ; the rockers, 
chairs and table are in copper finish. The floor is covered 
with a dull olive green carpet, and the walls painted an 
orange yellow, blending, toward the center of the ceiling, 
where it fades out into a cream. The windows are draped 
with pink and green draperies of thin silk, and tied back 
with ribbons of pink, soft green and orange. There are 
several little bows and knots of ribbons tied on the back 
of the chairs made of the same combination. 

THE GENTLEMAN'S DEN. 

Your grandmother was to be pitied. It is no ungrate- 
ful thing to say that, no matter how lavishly our husbands 
permit us to furnish the homes which they give us, there 
are times when we don't want them about. Perhaps it is 
better to mellow this sentence with the admission that 
there are times when they want to crawl into a nook of 
their own somewhere in the house, out of sight of our 
house-worry. 

Your grandmother could never get your grandfather 
out of the way when house-cleaning day came round. 
And when one of his cronies made a call with his wife, 
they all sat in the same room, and, if your grandmother 
had a bit of gossip to tell her neighbor, or vice versa, they 
had to take a walk in order to get away from the men. 

Have we made any advancement? We may as well 
be honest about it. So far as the chat is concerned, we 
have not. We gossip as glibly as the good old dears of 
that remote generation. But we have made one improve- 
ment. We have — thanks to our liege lords — provided 



THE GENTLEMEN'S DEN. 141 

them a place to which they can retire, and still be at home. 
We call it the " Gentleman's Den." Our grandmothers 
had no room for such a place. 

The men of to-day rather like the idea. They like to 
have this retreat labeled as a den, for it smacks of down- 
town. It is the club at home. Ah, dear madam, do not 
make any mistake. Do not let your home be too severely 
a home. Give your husband to feel that, although his 
home is the sacredest spot on this earth, it still contains a 
hole-in-the-wall where he can go and read his papers and 
magazine and smoke a cigar, or a pipe if he chooses, when 
the other apartments are undergoing the cleaning process, 
or when your dear confidante next door comes in to 
make yoti a call. 

It is your mission, madam, to fix up this den. It 
is not to be done elaborately. No man wants to lounge in 
a palace. It is to be quaint and full of comedy. Never 
mind where you locate it. I peeped into one that was hid 
under a stairway — of course the stairway was a broad 
one. Here is a description of it: 

The room was treated with India hand-printed cot- 
tons. The center of the " ceiling " was made from a large 
curtain pattern, upon which were many Oriental figures and 
hieroglyphics. The margin of the ceiling was filled in 
with a plain color. Around the " room " was a frieze 
about eighteen inches wide, made from this same printed 
India material, the walls being filled in with panels simi- 
lar to those on the ceiling; and the margin around them 
with plain color. At a window was hung an India muslin 
curtain. The floor was covered with rugs. And there 
were an Oriental coffee table and smoker's articles, and 



142 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

two or three large easy-chairs and a luxurious Turkish 
couch, covered with rugs. 

The India cottons have a bit of history. In the far 
Eastern country from whence they came, they are worn 
by the women. One of them, a dress pattern, costs what 
is equivalent to one dollar of our money, and yet the East 
India woman never has enough money at one time to make 
a purchase. 

An American merchant found some of these quaint 
cottons, and offered a dollar each for a quantity. The 
East India manufacturer, not unlike the manufacturer of 
the West, seeing that his goods were in demand, immedi- 
ately advanced his price to ten dollars apiece. 

The American merchant was shrewd. In the next 
market he bought one pattern at a time. These goods 
have found their way into our house-furnishing establish- 
ments, and, while they are used for many purposes, they 
are particularly adapted for that den to which your hus- 
band retires when there is an occasion, and, to be honest 
about it, you know that these occasions arise. 

You can find these materials anywhere, and, if your 
salesman is the gentleman I have found him to be, he 
will rig up such a combination as this for you in one 
corner of his salesroom, so that you can have an idea of its 
unique beauty. 

THE BED-ROOM. 

It is still a question with many people who have mas- 
tered the art of living well whether the living-room and the 
bed-room should be one. 

There are reasons for saying they should, just as there 
are reasons for saying that they should be distinct. 



THE BED-ROOM. 143 

The bed-room is where we " wrap the drapery of" 
our " couch about us and lie down to pleasant dreams." 

It is the resting place where we lounge when " darkness 
falls from the wing of night." If it be abed-room simply, 
it is more or less confined, and, being so, one is unable to 
place within its walls the mementoes and pretty things 
which become a bed-room more appropriately than any 
other. It would seem, from some considerations, that 
" bed-room," or " sleeping apartment," is a misnomer. If 
this apartment is the living-room — to use our grand- 
mother's name for it, the sitting-room — then " bed -room" 
is a misnomer. 

With the advancement in everything calculated for 
such an apartment, there is no reason why it should not be 
the living, as well as the bed room. If it be used as a bed- 
room solely, it will never receive the same attention it 
would otherwise receive if it were the living-room. You 
may think differently, and be honest in the thought. But 
there will come days when it will be neglected in spite of 
your good intentions; these poor natures of ours are so apt 
to lag by the way, at times, in spite of the best resolutions. 

There appear to be more and better reasons for throw- 
ing the living and the bed room into one than there are 
reasons against it. 

Let me say, then, that they are one. It follows that 
the room should be the perfection of home. The children 
gather about you there in all of the seasons — they show 
their faces at the windows to watch the flight of birds, to 
see the world without, to follow the patter of the rain on 
the glass in summer, to watch the snow fall in winter, and, 
in the evenings, to look into the sky with its " groves of 
stars." 



144 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

It is the place where the family pictures hang; where 
the husband confides the cares and pleasures of his life to 
the wife of his heart; where the wife adjusts the differ- 
ences of the household; where she arranges her plans for 
to-morrow; where she takes her confidantes; where she 
mends for baby, for, no matter what her resources may 
be, the American mother loves to do this, and will do it. 
It is the place where the children say good night, and give 
their kisses, and from which they are taken to their own 
couches. 

There must be times when one's head will ache, and 
the limbs grow tired, and what more appropriate than to 
pillow one's self in one's own living-room, from every nook 
of which some pleasant recollection looks down. 

A kindly disposed man who knew something of the 
world, said to his house decorator, " Be careful what 
paper you put on the walls of my living-room, where I 
sleep. I am tired sometimes, and sometimes I am sick. 
My eyes do not close, and in such moments, when I am 
on my bed, and my eyes wander about the room, as they 
will, I want them to rest upon something pleasant on the 
walls. Don't select such patterns as will get me puzzled 
with their angles. There is everything to a sick man in 
the right kind of figures on the walls." 

How shall this living-room be furnished ? 

Carpets offered for the entire floor are in body Brus- 
sels, Moquettes and Wilton, in unusually soft tones of 
color and simple in design to become the situation ; and, 
if you will have, as you must, other rooms for sleeping, 
there should be a distinct feeling of color — blue to pre- 
dominate, we will say, in one room, old rose to predomi- 
nate in the other; or ivory or gray- blue and red, or 



THE BED-ROOM. 145 

maybe moss green. Here is a good field to introduce 
printed stuffs, that come in soft, delicate tones of color, 
and make a wholesome and effective class of stuffs to use 
for the upholstery of chairs and couches and window seats 
if cushions are used ; also the portieres and window 
hangings of the room, taking one material with which to 
do the entire room. 

Brass bedsteads offer themselves as one of the most 
desirable styles of bed to be used, as they are not only 
clean and good in that way, but they are desirable as a 
furnishing effect, coming in all widths from three to five 
and six feet, and in all prices, ranging in corresponding 
values with all manner of wood beds. In later years they 
have been introduced and used more than any other style 
of bedstead used at the present time. Regarding the bed 
and upholstery, the Metropolitan spring-bed is one of the 
most desirable to offer for brass bedsteads. A light- 
weight hair mattress, placed on top of the spring, makes 
one of the best. 

Regarding the dressing of the bed, the French round 
drum bolster is the style favored, and is considered desir- 
able. A spread is used; also a valence around the two 
sides and foot of the bed, all made of the same material. 
The bolster, spread and valence might be made from the 
same material as the window hangings and furnishings of 
the room. It might be the printed Morris stuffs. Out- 
side of these, there are the French printed cretonnes and 
the Scotch madras and crete goods; also light-weight 
silk goods, such as India silk and the different lines of 
light weight of silk and cotton stuffs. 

The dresser and chairs and table can be in light woods, 
mounted on brass trimmings, to match the brass bed. The 



146 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

woods most used are maple, natural cherry, white mahog- 
any and white birch. Or, if the woodwork is done in 
cream and gold, the woodwork in the furniture could 
match. 

The heart of every woman runs to effective window 
dressing, just as the children run to this window to look 
out. And this is a good place to say something about 
curtains, whether they are for the living-room or other 
rooms. 

There is an idea of purity in white thread lace; either 
the Saxony thread or the French thread are the hand- 
somer style of curtain. Coming in heavier work, it is a 
richer and more beautiful curtain in appearance. Of 
course, you will use a white curtain for the parlor, for a 
sitting-room or reception hall — what is called the 
Renaissance lace, or the Arabian laces, that come with 
handsome lace edgings and lace insertions with a plain 
field or center of French gauze or French grenadine. 

For a library, the Irish point, or Colbert, laces, in a 
cream tone of color, prove to be very effective and desira- 
ble curtains. 

For the dining-room, generally an antique lace cur- 
tain, or a deep ecru Egyptian lace ; or, if you please, an 
Irish point, which is considered desirable for that situa- 
tion. 

If there is a separate bed-room which shows con- 
spicuously to the street, immediately over the parlor or 
reception-hall windows, use something in simple design 
and style becoming the bed-room, and to be agreeable in 
general effect with the curtains immediately below, which, 
of course, are the parlor or reception-hall windows. A 
simple style in Saxony thread-lace and the Swiss tarn- 



THE BED-ROOM. 147 

bour, also the Swiss embroidered muslins, make very 
pretty curtains for such a room. Figured muslins in 
small or medium-sized patterns, with a fluted ruffle down 
the face and bottom, or plain muslin looped back with a 
simple cord and tassel-loops, make very pretty curtains 
for bed-room windows. 

Sash curtains are used generally to correspond with 
the style of lace curtains used in the window, either to be 
of the same style or to be agreeable to them in the point 
of coloring and in the style of complement, so as to avoid 
too great a variety in style of laces. 

Not long since I saw a bit of furniture for the living- 
room, unique and appropriately arranged. It is the Wind- 
sor Combination Washstand. It serves a double purpose, 
that of writing cabinet and washstand. The wash-bowl 
is counter-mounted in a Knoxville marble top, and con- 
cealed by the desk lid, the reservoir by the cabinet beneath 
the glass, and the waste-water jar by the door below. By 
a new and novel patent device, the cabinet containing the 
reservoir is locked, compelling the removal of the waste- 
water jar in order to unlock it, thus preventing an over- 
flow of waste water so objectionable in similar wash- 
stands. 

The reservoir contains sufficient water for ten ordi- 
nary ablutions. It is made in antique oak, imitation of 
mahogany and walnut. The dimensions are 5 ft. 9 in. high, 
2 ft. 6 in. wide, 2 ft. 2 in. deep, surmounted by a German 
beveled mirror 13 by 22 inches and 40 by 45 inches. 

I saw a room where the woodwork was delicate 
in its carving and painted an ivory white. In sum- 
mer the floor was covered with yellow matting, and in 
winter with wool. The rugs were numerous. The furni- 



148 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

ture was in ivory and gold, in designs of the time of Marie 
Antoinette. It was a dream in decoration. 

The following description of a dainty bed-room in 
New York is appropriate in this connection. The lady 
who gives me the description, says: " Economy was 
necessary. The walls are covered with a cheap chintz, 
showing a graceful flower pattern of small pink roses on a 
pale gray ground. This chintz is tacked on the walls, and 
finished by a narrow frieze border of the chintz. The 
floor, of ordinary pine wood, painted in a dark maroon 
and varnished, is nearly covered by a rug of pale gray 
Brussels ' filling,' which is edged all around with a worsted 
fringe of pink and gray. The mantel and hearth, which 
were of.black marble, have been painted dark maroon, 
and there is a ' manteau de cheminee,'' or mantel drapery 
of the chintz, which has been caught up gracefully by pink 
ribbons, so as to form three festoons. The pine wood 
furniture is good in shape and design, and is painted pink 
and varnished, so as to resemble the more expensive en- 
ameled furniture. 

" The dressing table has hanging brass handles, and a 
wide swinging glass, and has a dainty scarf of full gray 
Momie cloth, with fringed ends, and little pink roses 
powdered over its surfaces, which are embroidered in 
crewels. 

" The chairs are painted gray, and have rush-bottomed 
seats, and two bamboo chairs are painted gray, with back 
and seat cushions of the chintz, tied to the chair with 
bows of pink ribbon. 

" The bedspread is of white bolting cloth, lined with 
pink silesia, and, like the dressing-table scarf, embroidered 
with pink roses. The spread is large, and covers the 




fin Do^. C 
,nj 



THE BED-ROOM. 149 

pillows, and has an edging of Torchon lace two inches 
wide. A pretty little cherrywood cabinet hangs over the 
mantel. 

" The window curtains are of bolting cloth — a cheap, 
transparent material — lined with pink silesia, and tied 
back with pink ribbons. 

" The fireplace is bordered with gray, glazed ties, and 
there are brass fire-dogs and fender. 

" The doors and woodwork of this pretty room are 
painted mahogany color, contrasting pleasantly with the 
prevailing pink and gray decorations. The ceiling is 
tinted a pale pink. A square table of cherry stands in 
the center of the room, and on this is a brass lamp, with 
dome shade of pink porcelain. 

" The bedstead is of iron, painted pink, and finished at 
the head and foot with a brass rail, and balls at each 
corner." 

An authority on these iron bedsteads submits the 
following : " They are now made on the lines of ex- 
pensive brass bedsteads, and are painted — enameled, it is 
called — in any color to match the room, and in many 
instances they are decorated with brass balls and rods. 
The spread is so made as to reach the floor at the foot as 
well as at the sides, and the effect is beautiful. They cost 
from twelve to eighteen dollars. " 

Some one has adopted the idea of placing an up- 
holstered chest at the foot of the bed. By lifting the 
top of the chest, you have a receptacle for your boots, 
slippers, leggings and overshoes. When the lid is shut, 
you have a place to lounge. These chests are having a 
run at the furniture houses. They are made in various 
woods, and are not only useful, but really ornamental. 



150 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

We have seen these chests in bog oak, Flemish, sixteenth 
century oak finish, malachite, Cremona and in copper 
finish. 

A young lady of Chicago, who is always on the 
alert for something novel, has a hammock in her bed- 
room for winter. It is swung diagonally in one corner. 
A long, narrow red cushion is tied to the meshes, and a 
round pillow for a head-rest is secured in place by long 
loops and ends of gendarme ribbons. There are also 
streamers of red and peacock blue ribbons tied to the 
upper ends, falling nearly to the floor, and in this daintily 
luxurious cradle she swings herself into the land of 
dreams and reveries. 

Let me suggest the idea as worth adopting in the 
living room, and thus you have something tropical to the 
eye,, even though your latitude is snowbound. 

The fact that you have decided to live in the room 
where you close your eyelids for slumber, will not in the 
least deter you from making that apartment what it would 
be if you intended it for sleeping purposes only. A 
woman naturally recurs to her younger days — when she 
had her own sleeping apartment beneath the roof of the 
old home. She likes to " fix things " as she used to have 
them when she was a girl, and it is a pretty fancy. 
Indulge yourself in this to your heart's content. You 
will find it better for wrinkles than cosmetics, and more 
inspiring for ennui than any elixir of life. 

Let this room have delicacy and softness of color, and 
tone. Do not have anything in it or about it that is rigid, 
stiff or suggestive of conventionality. Beware of brilliant 
colors and pronounced designs. Let it make the impres- 
sion that it is the informal apartment of your house, and 



SHADES FOR THE WINDOWS. I 5 I 

you can do this, albeit you may furnish it with a luxurious- 
ness that is Oriental. There should be light, soft colors, 
in quiet combinations; hangings with large, loose, indis- 
tinct figures; furniture with delicate curves; soft fur rugs 
and a plenty of cushions — nothing to irritate or excite 
the eye. 

SHADES FOR THE WINDOWS. 

It will not be information to those who are engaged 
in the elevating work of furnishing and decorating to know 
that no architect of to-day — we are living in 1890 — will 
ever permit an inside blind to a window. 

There is more than one reason for this — and one of 
them is a pretty idea. You are out for a drive; your 
attention is directed to a residence. The windows — all 
of them — have shades. There comes to you the thought 
— always restful to the mind — " There's a home. Some- 
body lives there." 

If the windows are blinded, and they should be 
closed, as they would be at a certain season when the 
occupants of the house are on vacation, the thought pre- 
sents itself, with the same rapidity as the other, " Unoccu- 
pied. " That is akin to desolation. 

Aside from these reasons for shades, there is another, 
and a more practical one. The shade mellows the light in 
the home. It harmonizes. With shades of any given 
color, the decorator builds, for the shade is susceptible of 
being toned. If this shade is buff, for example, and that 
is objectionable because it admits the light with too much 
force, thereby causing the eye pain, to say nothing about 
injury to drapery, hangings and carpets, an inner shade, 
more opaque, is added, and there is created that subdued 



152 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

light which is so essential in a home, and which, tempered 
with that hospitality that is one of the essentials of a per- 
fect home, proclaims a welcome as we draw near the 
threshold. 

And about these double shades, how artistically and 
fantastically are thrown the sash curtains — so pretty in 
effect, so dear to the heart of every woman, so unmis- 
takably an index to refinement and taste, so full of rest to 
the master of the home and his guests. 

Of course you have understood in all this that the 
proper thing for the outside shade is a plain opaque, and 
each window must be shaded alike. For the inside shade, 
Holland and plain brown linen, the latter the more expen- 
sive, are most in vogue. 

The sash curtains are of Irish point lace, which may 
be purchased by the yard, although there are many effect- 
ive patterns. There are also the Arabian laces, which 
give to the room that touch of the Oriental which is so 
delightful to a refined taste. There are the renaissance 
patterns, Saxony threads, and French point laces in 
patterns. It is impossible to exhaust the field. Herein 
again appears that individuality of decoration of which we 
have written. 

Wherever there is a necessity, there is no trouble in 
arriving at a solution. Shades are a necessity. Hangings 
are a necessity. Sash curtains are a luxury. And, when 
one enters the labyrinths of luxury, one enters into a 
kingdom as vast as the sea. 

Before leaving the subject of shades, it may not be 
amiss to state that in your sleeping apartment there 
should always be double shades, even if you omit them in 
other apartments. There is nothing so beautiful to the 



ELEGANCE FOR LITTLE MONEY. I 53 

eye as sleeping in a room, through the windows of which 
the morning light breaks. For health — and with health 
there follows always a brood of blessings — double shades 
are a necessity in a sleeping apartment. 

One additional idea on shades before we enter that 
inimitable domain so dear to woman's heart — " the house 
beautiful. " If your house is of a somber material, good 
taste will warrant your return to the school of decoration 
in vogue when — 

"Venice sate in state, throned on her hundred isles," 

the old-fashioned Venetian blind. Your grandmother 
followed that school, and you may be sure, that, in adopt- 
ing it in this age of beauty, you will violate no rule. 
Especially true is this in any house which has on it the 
impress of stateliness. 

Need it be said, that, if you are following out the 
Chippendale school of decoration, you will not want the 
Venetian blind? About the Chippendale there was " a 
light, airy nothingness," in keeping with many of the 
French ideas so characteristic of the year 1700. 

ELEGANCE FOR LITTLE MONEY. 

How often in my rounds have I been met with the 
inquiry: " How can we who are not the salt of the earth, 
financially speaking, adorn our homes. Everything neces- 
sary for house decoration is so expensive that our tastes 
fail to reach them." 

There are some homely sayings which come up now 
and then to answer what seem to be abstruse problems. 
One of these sayings is: "Where there's a will there's a 
way." A woman who has the innate love of decoration 



154 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

will beautify an alcove and trim an attic in a way that 
would make any mortal content. 

Now, here is a pretty room, and it is within the reach 
of that woman who has the love of home at heart, and who 
has a husband who is just half-way inclined to humor her 
whims. The decorator who gives it calls it " the pink 
room. " 

Very appropriate, for the woodwork is painted a 
pale pink color, the ceiling being tinted in light shade. 
The walls are covered with cheese cloth, cream white in 
color, plated in wide box pleats. A frieze of cretonne, 
eighteen inches deep, with cream ground nearly covered 
with pink roses and pale olive-green leaves, meets the 
cheese cloth, and is divided from it by a narrow picture 
rail in dead gold. 

The floor is stained a dark color, and covered by a 
large Chinese cotton rug of white ground, with ara- 
besque border and medallion of shaded pinks. These 
rugs are particularly adapted for summer. 

The sofas and chairs show no woodwork ; they are 
covered with the same cretonne as frieze, upholstered in, 
with back and seats tufted. The portieres are of cream 
white momie cloth, with wide band of same, embroicfered 
in crewels, with a design of pink dog-roses. 

The window curtains are of cream white scrym, with 
pink stripes, and are tied back by wide pink satin ribbons. 

Little sash curtains of pink Chinese silk hang 
charmingly on rods, with only a narrow hem for trim- 
mings. 

The mantel-cover is a wide piece of pink Chinese 
silk, laid like a scarf over the shelf, the piece hanging over 
being looped up in the middle and toward each end, thus 





/r& 



ELEGANCE FOR LITTLE MONEY. I 55 

forming two festoons, which are fastened by bows of pink 
satin ribbon. 

Over the mantel, an oblong mirror framed in white- 
painted wood. 

The toilet table, a simple square one, with a glass 
hung above it, is entirely covered with box-pleats of 
cream white cheese-cloth, with a ruffle of lace at the top. 
The glass is draped with cheese-cloth curtains, fastened 
back with broad pink satin ribbons tied in large bows. 

In this pink room you place a brass or iron bedstead. 
If iron, it should be painted white, with a brass rail at the 
head and foot, finished with a brass ball. 

Let the dressing of this bedstead be in harmony with 
your room. The spread should be of cretonne, likefriezj 
and furniture covering, reaching quite to the floor, and 
finished with fluted ruffle. 

There are bed drapings, hung to a small ring in the 
ceiling, of scrym, similar to window curtains. These are 
looped back by pink ribbons. 

A square table of pine wood, painted white and var- 
nished, has a white linen cover, fringed out, with drawn- 
work border, through which are run narrow pink ribbons 
tied in a bow at each corner. 

A pretty white porcelain lamp with pink globe is upon 
the table, and one or two small rush-bottomed chairs, 
with frame and seat painted white, complete the furni- 
ture of this room — and where is the woman who cannot 
duplicate it? 



156 FACTS FOR LADIES. 



PRETTY DEVICES FOR THE HOME. 

Put a night-lamp in your guest's chamber. The idea 
is pretty and inexpensive, and is one of the latest. The 
metal lamp, better known as the nursery lantern, is tri- 
faced and shows an owl, a cat's face and the head of a 
water spaniel, with mock jewels in the eyes, through which 
the light streams. There are also classic shapes with 
dragon faces, griffin handles and high chimneys of colored 
glass, illustrative of the German renaissance, while the 
lanterns of blackened iron, with prism crystals, that swing 
from slender rods, are copied after the sixteenth-century 
lamps that burnt in the lofty cathedrals before the en- 
trance of some sacred tabernacle. 

The old-fashioned pillow is not so much used as for- 
merly. Instead, the French bolster, made of down. They 
come in a bunch of three, and can be adjusted to suit. 
They are inexpensive and a luxury. 

There are houses which have windows long enough 
for a cathedral. A clever idea for curtaining these, is 
to place a grill half way the length of the window, and 
from this hang the curtain. The upper portion can be 
shaded with any material in harmony with the general 
furnishing of the room. 

While the iron and brass bedsteads are having pre- 
cedence, there comes an occasional hint, that, when their 
day is over, we shall return to the old mahogany 
tester. Do not permit yourself to be persuaded into dis- 
posing of your old heavy furniture. It may be money in 
your pocket to pay storage on it. 



PRETTY DEVICES FOR THE HOME. 157 

A young lady of Chicago has an iron bedstead in her 
room painted pale pink, over which is a coat of varnish, 
giving it an enamel appearance. A plain Swiss-muslin 
coverlid and pillow-sham are edged with narrow lace, and 
lined with pale cambric. The corners of the pillow-sham 
are finished with a flat bow of pink ribbon. 

In response to an oft-presented inquiry, we answer 
that the best authority on such matters suggests, in the 
construction of houses, that the library and dining-room 
should be contiguous. 

Says a well-known writer, and truthfully : " A house 
may be really lovely, and yet not have a single costly article 
within its walls. It is only necessary for each article to 
harmonize with each other article, and to show thought 
and culture." 

This also is true : " A thing is beautiful when it is fit 
for its use and position, and when it is true — without 
sham." 

Books can be used as furnishings for all rooms. 
They give your house an air of intelligence. Cicero said 
of books : " They give strength in youth, and joy in old 
age ; adorn prosperity, and are the support and consola- 
tion of adversity ; at home they are delightful, and abroad 
they are easy; at night they are company to us ; when we 
travel they attend us ; and in our rural retirements they 
do not forsake us." 

If your circumstances do not. permit you to make 
your house extensive, and you are still a lover of books, 
put your library in your living-room, and have some of 
your books on brackets in the dining-room. 



158 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Copies of old Florentine silk tapestries with quaint 
designs outlined in gold and silver thread, or gray, blue, 
faded pink and dull red, are beautiful. 

The rope portiere is a new and pretty idea. The 
rope is covered with any material which good taste may 
suggest, and the lower ends of the ropes are tied in knots 
which serve for tassels. 

Lamps and rare pieces of pottery ornament a book- 
case; and a wide sofa of bamboo, stained red, placed 
across the corner and made easy by cushions for back and 
seat of red plush, makes a library comfortable. 

An idea for a summer bed-room: Cover the floor with 
cream white and green matting, with a pattern of large- 
white and green blocks alternating. It can be bought for 
sixty cents a yard. A dado of the same matting, put on 
with small brass nails, can be put on the walls, which 
should be tinted a pale green. The bedspread is of 
scrym muslin, lined with pale green cambric. The pil- 
low-shams are the same. Put scrym curtains at the win- 
dows, and loop them back with green satin ribbons. The 
window shades should be cream white linen, fringed. 

One or two cream-white Japanese goat rugs should 
be spread upon the matted floor. The furniture, to har- 
monize, should be of pine, painted a light green. On 
the tables, scarf-like covers of scrym, lined with pale 
green. A pretty cane sofa, with a cushion covered with 
green flowered chintz, and a rocking-chair with similar 
cushions, tied by green satin ribbons,, completes the 
picture. 



PRETTY DEVICES FOR THE HOME. 1 59 

Do not be afraid of the effect of screens. They are 
multitudinous in variety: stormy petrels embroidered in 
gold, silver and copper; storks done in heavy white silk; 
tall waving grasses in natural colors; the conventionalized 
chrysanthemum, in brilliant colors; the peony blossoms in. 
all are exquisitely wrought. The size of panels varies, 
from three to five feet in length. The long ones are gen- 
erally made into three-panel screens, mounted in bamboo 
and brass frames. The shorter ones are made into single- 
standing screens. 

A pretty ornamental pedestal for a lamp is a column 
of Mexican onyx in white and clouded amber, with 
golden ropes twisted about it, and standing upon a gilt 
pedestal. The lamp upon it is Worcester royal, with 
cream white ivory finish, and scroll pattern of raised gold. 
The parasol shade is of cream white silk, brocaded with 
yellow roses, and bordered by a face of rich yellowish 
white lace. 

The photograph album is no longer given a place in 
a fashionable parlor, if anywhere. There has been a good 
deal of romance in these old albums, and some of us, 
whose years run back further than we are willing to admit, 
may lay aside the old album with a sigh of regret. An 
authority on this subject gives us the following, which is 
the correct thing: 

" The most popular thing for holding photographs is 
a hand-painted or embroidered box. Have either a 
wooden or tin box a little larger each way than your 
largest pictures, and decorate in sprays with oils, or else 
cover with canvas, and, after drawing careless, graceful 
clusters of wild flowers, paint them with luster paints. If 



l60 - FACTS FOR LADIES. 

a wooden box is used, it must be lined with the prettily- 
quilted silk or satin that comes by the yard, and the out- 
side covered to match or daintily contrasting. The lid 
may be fastened on with small brass hinges, or made to 
lift off by means of a ring in the top. 

" Photo-holders also come in bamboo, little stands on 
feet with several compartments, and these are very gen- 
erally used to hold collections of foreign views, compris- 
ing statuary, cathedrals, castles, etc." 

Bamboo racks to hold books and newspapers come in 
various sizes, and are stained in various colorings, all in 
the natural ecru tint. They are more particularly designed 
for piazzas in country houses and the cottage by the sea. 

White embroidery on linen is pretty, and is much 
used for the small center cloths which are placed over the 
damask table-cloth, serving as a central piece on which to 
place the jardiniere, basket of flowers, or lamp. 

There is at present a fashion for wrought iron, applied 
to objects made of bronze or brass. Of all objects in use 
none rivals in utility the iron grill, whether used for pro- 
tection or ornament. The changes of fashion are not 
likely to affect this. Properly fixed window guards give 
more security than shutters. Elegant forms can be pro- 
duced, within reach of every one, and thus can there be 
interposed between the window and the street, beautiful 
objects, that serve to screen the interior from observation 
and protect them by night. 

I recently saw at Newport, a pretty house, which 
had a "sky parlor." An awning was put up solidly, 
and made to " reef" in stormy weather. Screens divided 



PRETTY DEVICES FOR THE HOME. l6l 

into spaces, and rugs, arm-chairs, work tables and books 
made up the furnishings. One part near a high chimney 
was inclosed in glass, and in this cozy nook, a piano, a 
lounge and a tea table had been placed. The usual five 
o'clock tea was served there, and visitors were invited 
there. It was a retreat, and seemed removed from the 
" madding crowd," and remote from " rumors of oppres- 
sion and deceit." 

The apis deer from the West Indies yields a skin of 
rich brown flecked all over with white spots, which may 
be used for furniture of the floor. A novelty in the way 
of decoration is the half of a leopard skin, divided along 
the line of the spinal column, mounted on plush or colored 
goat ; this is hung on the chimney-piece over the mantel. 

Among the cheaper white rugs is the skin of the 
Iceland sheep ; this has no odor, as most of the cheap rugs 
have, and, it is said, will not shed hairs for many years ; 
the black and the colored ones of the same kind are very 
serviceable and remarkably cheap. 

The fancy for oxidized and unburnished silver is 
beginning to wane; the majority of the new goods show- 
ing a bright, highly polished surface; this is a change 
which some housekeepers will decry, as it necessitates far 
more work in the care of silverware. 

We have had Russian teas, Russian pictures, ghastly 
and gloomy, Russian literature, Russian fancies of every 
kind, but none has seemed so eminently appropriate and 
altogether delightful as the Russian fashion of covering 
our divans and floors with fur rugs. The woman who is 
the possessor of half a dozen fine fur rugs is the envied of 



1 62 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

all her acquaintances. These she may use to adorn her 
rooms in a variety of ways. Some she will use for a divan, 
which is a popular piece of furniture nowadays; others, 
the foxes and small wolf skins, she will throw over the 
back of her easy-chairs. 

Tiny bronze gongs, hung in a rustic arbor, are among 
the newest table bells. Chimes of gongs, from three to 
eight in number, are dinner-bell novelties. 

A good story is told of a bright woman, who, when 
asked by her husband how she would like her house to 
be built, replied, laconically and pointedly, " all closets." 
" More closets" is the daily cry of all womankind. Occa- 
sionally, however, there is a woman who gets more than 
she wishes, or gets one in the wrong place, and then she 
is more troubled to know what to do with it than she 
would have been to know how to do without it. A 
designer has contrived an arrangement for one of these 
out-of-place closets, which is admirable. It opened out 
of a sitting room, where it was neither useful nor orna- 
mental. The door was taken off; the wall finished with 
rough mortar; a handsome frieze of silver paper embossed 
and perforated — anew invention which comes in metallic 
colors — applied onto flock paper. There was no dado in 
this room, but one might be used if desired. There were 
three Moorish arches built out a foot and a half into the 
room; this woodwork was painted in pale shades of pink, 
blue and sea green. A long, wide, old-fashioned sofa 
was set back against the wall; about eight feet from the 
floor, directly over the sofa, was an ornamental shelf with 
Moorish designs reaching two-thirds of the length of the 
closet. Large pieces of pottery and bric-a-brac, which 



PRETTY DEVICES FOR THE HOME. 1 63 

could stand the height, were ranged along the shelf. Two 
good-sized wrought iron heads, with hooks projecting, 
were secured to the wall about three feet above the sofa; 
from these was suspended a long Daghestan rug, which 
covered the back and seat of the sofa, and stretched out 
two or three feet on the floor in front of it; luxurious 
cushions, which irresistibly invited to repose, were piled 
on either end; a " dim religious light" came from the 
Moorish lamp, which hung within, and completed one of 
the most delightful nooks. 

Mr. Andrew Carnegie has a bed adapted from a first- 
empire model, in which the motive is taken from cornu- 
copias. Four of them meet in the middle of the bed, and 
curve upward into low posts holding bunches of Easter 
lilies. It has no canopy. 

" What," a lady asked of a house decorator, " is the 
prevailing style of furniture? " 

He replied: " Principally renaissance. But in enam- 
eled furniture and white and gold there are the Louis 
XIV. and Louis XV. styles, and Louis XVI., with its 
many modifications, of which the Adams is the favorite." 

" Colonial furniture is not a development; it is rather 
the result of the architect's limited resources, frankly 
accepted. Therein greatly lies its charm, perhaps. It 
answered the needs of the time — nothing more. A cen- 
tury ago we had neither the workmen nor the wealth for 
anything better. We could not have carvings, but we 
could have fan-shaped groovings and spindles. The ap- 
preciation of the fitness of the furniture of that epoch, 
showing traces of its mingled English and Dutch influ- 
ences, gives it its creditable place to-day." 



1 64 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

" What is the distinction between the Louis XVI. and 
Adams styles? " 

" This is a question often asked. The lines of the 
Adams are straighter and more severe than those in Louis 
XVI. furniture. There is much the same delicacy and 
grace of form in the Adams that we find in the latter; 
but in the English adaptation, gilding and rich brocades 
gave place to simple inlays of rare woods for ornamenta- 
tion and more quiet upholstering. Festoons of flowers, 
connected by small medallions, are a feature usually intro- 
duced into the frieze and fire-place, and the woodwork is 
white or cream-colored, without gilding or other decora- 
tion." 

There are two pieces of furniture which are particu- 
larly valuable in contributing to the architectural effect of 
a room, the sideboard, and the bed. The sideboard 
may fitly be the efflorescence, as it were, of the wainscot- 
ing, carrying the lines to the ceiling, where it unites and 
becomes a part of the frieze and cove. 

Bed-rooms have also become show-rooms, and chiefly 
owing to the architectural importance they receive by 
means of the bed, which, in many houses, is built in with 
the woodwork. The headposts are mortised to the wain- 
scoting, and afford the most desirable opportunity for 
accenting the style of the room in form, ornament and 
draping. In some instances the bed is placed on a dais, 
and is approached by a step, and sometimes two. One 
can easily see what importance such an imposing piece of 
furniture so finely placed might assume in a room. 

A long-felt want has been supplied by the importa- 
tion of the Bagdad rug, which makes it possible for people 






PRETTY DEVICES FOR THE HOME. 1 65 

of moderate means to adopt the sanitary method of hard- 
wood or stained floors, without having to buy an expen- 
sive covering. Formerly one had to buy a rug for $80 
or $100, or else have a square of ingrain or brussels made, 
which was anything but handsome. These Bagdad rugs 
are nine feet seven inches long, five feet three and one- 
half inches wide, and are in two styles, striped and mixed. 
The former are $8.75, and the latter $10.75. Theyare,of 
course, not nearly so thick in texture nor so fine in quality 
as the Turkish, but they are closely woven, and appar- 
ently durable. 

Turcoman portieres in olive, cinnamon and blue, solid 
colors, with netted fringe, are $14.50 a pair; others, of 
lighter weight, are only $9. A cotton material in mixed 
colors of red and blue and white sells for $1 a yard; it is 
quite Oriental in effect, and would prove durable enough 
if the light upon it were not too strong. 

Tinsel madras comes more heavily gilt than ever, at 
$1.95 a yard. It will wear reasonably well with care. 

Low wooden screens in imitation of oak, twofold, 
and ornamented on top with spindles and balls, may be 
bought for $2. They seem to be strong, and are marvels 
of cheapness when compared with the prices asked for the 
simplest screens a few years ago. Taller ones are $3 and 
$4, and a threefold one, with panels of Japanese gold 
embroideries, is only $6. 50. These pieces of furniture are 
wonderfully decorative as well as useful, and it is a pleasure 
to find them cheap enough for every one to have. 

Some rich-looking French tapestry in dark red, green 
and oil gold grounds have brocaded figures in flower 



1 66 FACTS FOR LADIES, 

designs ; they sell for $6.75 a yard. They are very thick 
and heavy, and are suitable for upholstered furniture or 
for tufted chair cushions. Where heavy portieres are 
needed, this tapestry would be handsome, although it 
would be necessary to have a lining, which would add 
considerably to the expense. 

In the ordinary house it is better to avoid elaborate 
draperies, unless the work is done by experienced hands ; 
many of the hangings that are in the style of Lous XIV. 
are a snare and a delusion to the unwary, looking very 
simple and easy of construction, but in reality they are 
most intricate, as they are cut and made by patterns which 
are quite complex, and without which it is impossible to 
make them hang properly. They are a pitfall for the in- 
experienced, as they are apt to imagine that they are 
draped carelessly over a pole ; an attempt at draping 
them in this way is generally enough to satisfy one that 
they are not as they seem. So that, unless you can have 
the work done by those who make it a business, and unless 
the room is in tone with such hangings, it is much better 
to use plain straight hangings, as they are never out of 
place, and are more dignified than an attempt that at best 
is but an attempt. 

In this, as in every other form of decoration, the most 
severe simplicity is preferable to anything that tends 
toward the cheap and tawdry. There are so few people 
who possess the knack of using cheap and gaudy things 
well, that in the majority it is far safer to eschew them 
entirely. 



AN AUTHORITY ON DESIGNS. 167 

AN AUTHORITY ON DESIGNS. 

This is an interesting study — designs in furniture. I 
have had the opinions of many house-furnishers and 
decorators on this one point, and I adopt the exact lan- 
guage of one who has charge of the largest and decidedly 
the richest collections in the city of Chicago. He said: 

" In the new styles of furniture the designs are sim- 
pler, and the ornamentation less elaborate and more chaste. 
The same principles are now followed in cabinet-making 
as in architecture. Barring special cases, which may be 
regarded as exceptions, there is a growing disuse of orna- 
mentation, purely as such. Designers are seeking more 
and more the beauty that results from simple, even 
severe, lines and fine finish. In some styles, especially 
of tables and bed-room sets, this is almost carried to 
excess. The aim, of course, is to produce striking effects 
without such an expenditure of labor in manufacture as 
to prohibit* sale, and, in so far as designers now sin in this 
respect, I think they sin on the right side. 

" Taste is now gravitating toward the antique. With 
the exception of a few patent devices, such as folding- 
beds, office furniture, and revolving book-cases, nothing 
really new has been got out for years. The Eastlake pat- 
terns, so popular some time ago, were nothing but a crude 
adaptation of the Gothic. Painted furniture, once so popu- 
lar, was novel only in its finish. So, too, with stained 
woods, which are used only for cheap goods. All these 
are now out of date, and designers are busy working over 
Romanesque, renaissance, Louis IV. , and colonial patterns. 
We adapt and unite the different types just as modern 
architects combine different styles of architecture, and 



1 68 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

many of our most pleasing effects are obtained in this way. 
The popular fad keeps us within the leading-strings of the 
antique, and, so far as this requirement is met, we are left 
free to make as many violations or combinations of art 
principles as we choose. 

" In the matter of woods, oak has precedence. Cherry 
probably follows next. Birch and curly maple are much 
used, since they give a pleasing, dainty effect Walnut, 
which for some time has been out of favor, is gradually 
coming back again. Oak and cherry are now what wal- 
nut used to be — the staple goods — and I presume it will 
not be long before they, too, will yield to the popular fancy, 
and take the obscure corners of retail establishments. 
Mahogany will always be popular, but it is too expensive 
a material to be of wide use. Good oak can be had for 
$50 a thousand, and the same quality of mahogany costs 
$150, and, when the former will take as fine a finish, and 
give as pleasing an effect as the latter, it is bound to catch 
the masses." 



HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN 



CHAPTER I. 

woman's physical structure. 

The health of woman depends upon the physical 
development, not alone of those structures that are com- 
mon to both sexes, but particularly of the special organs 
and functions that characterize her own sex. How impor- 
tant, then, that every mother and every girl who expects 
to become a wife and mother should understand the struc- 
ture and physiological development of those organs that 
impose on her special and ennobling duties in life, and may 
also, through ignorance, entail life-long disappointments, 
pain, sickness, premature old age and death. 

To know herself, woman must study the structure of 
the various organs of the human body, and thus learn that 
in nothing but the organs of generation does she materi- 
ally differ from her brother. She eats the same food, and 
this is assimilated by organs exactly the same as those of 
man. She breathes, thinks, sees, feels, hears and tastes 
in the same way as he, and the heart, liver, kidneys, skin, 
and all other organs are the same in both. As a rule, 
however, woman is smaller than man, and the various 
organs are proportionately so, but we often see as much 
difference in the size of individuals of the same sex as 
there is between men and women, so that we cannot be 
certain that this difference in size is not due to difference 

in environment in the formative period of life. 

169 



1 



170 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

It is only when we reach the generative organs and 
parts connected therewith that the real difference in struc- 
ture and function is manifest. The hips of women are 
broader than those of men, because the bones of the pelvis 
(haunch bones) are spread out more to afford room for 
child-bearing; and the mammary glands, or breasts, are 
developed in woman to supply her offspring with proper 
nourishment, while there is only a rudimentary nipple 
without a gland in man. 

The special organs of sex in women are divided into 
the external and internal organs of generation, a knowl- 
edge of which should be here acquired in order to under- 
stand the important questions hereinafter discussed. 

THE EXTERNAL ORGANS. 

The external organs of generation are situated on the 
exterior of the bony pelvis or basin, where they can be 
readily seen, and are technically named: 1st, the mons 
veneris, or mountain of Venus; 2d, the labia majora, or 
greater lips; 3d, the labia minora, or lesser lips; 4th, the 
clitoris; 5th, the hymen; 6th, the perineum. 

The Mons Veneris. — The mons veneris is a triangular 
eminence formed by an accumulation of fat under the skin 
at the lowest point of the abdomen, directly over the bony 
arch in front of the pelvis. It is peculiar to the female sex, 
and more prominent in young virgins than in mothers or 
aged women. It is also said to be more developed in 
young women who are natives of tropical climates. The 
skin over the part is smooth in early life, but at puberty it 
is covered with hair. 

Its use has never been satisfactorily ascertained, but 
early writers claimed that it was more elevated just before 



THE EXTERNAL ORGANS. 171 

the menstrual periods and during sexual excitement, and 
from this supposition it derived the name, mons veneris, 
which means mountain of Venus, or mountain of love. 

The Labia Majora. — The labia majora, or greater 
lips, also called " external lips," are two rounded folds or 
lips, extending longitudinally from the mons veneris, 
downward and backward, between the legs. They are 
covered with skin, externally, and, after puberty, this skin 
is covered, more or less, with hair. Internally they are 
lined with a delicate mucous membrane, which is supplied 
with glands, a fluid to prevent adhesion of the parts and 
protect them against irritation from friction. 

These lips cover the external parts, and thus protect 
them from external irritation. During labor, when the 
child is about to be born, these lips elongate so as to 
materially increase the size of the opening, and thus per- 
mit the ready passage of the child. 

The Labia Minora. — The labia minora, or lesser lips, 
also called the internal lips, are two folds of mem- 
brane situated between and parallel with the greater lips. 
They are composed of connective tissue, contain blood- 
vessels and nerves, and are covered with mucous mem- 
brane. Anteriorly they unite and pass around the 
clitoris, forming a hood which closely resembles the 
foreskin in the male, while posteriorly they are blended 
with the external lips. During the excitement of copula- 
tion these lips become filled with blood and somewhat 
erect, and are thus supposed to intensify sexual enjoyment. 

The Clitoris. — The Clitoris is a small, red body 
situated between the anterior margins of the lesser lips, 
and is attached to the bony arch by two roots. In struc- 
ture and general appearance it is like a miniature penis; 



172 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

and is said to be the principal seat of sexual pleasure. 
In infants it appears of excessive size, often protruding 
beyond the surrounding parts, but this is due to the lack 
of development of the lips. Like the male organ, it be- 
comes erect and increases in size during coition. In some 
persons it is inordinately developed, and this fact some- 
times occasions the belief that the person is double sexed. 

The Hymen. — The hymen is a fold of mucous mem- 
brane, which closes more or less perfectly the orifice of 
the vagina. It is crescent shaped, with the convexity 
directed downward and attached, while it is usually 
detached above so as to leave a small aperture for the 
escape of secretions from the vagina and womb. It is 
sometimes entirely closed, while again it may have sev- 
eral openings. It is usually thin and easily ruptured, but 
sometimes it is found to be thick and rigid, and may require 
an operation for its removal. 

It has often been said, and still believed by many, 
that the absence or rupture of the hymen was an indication 
of loss of virginity, but such is not the case. It may be 
so easily ruptured by slight accidents, and even the use of 
a syringe, that great injustice must invariably result from 
a belief in this idea. Its presence is a sure sign of virgin- 
ity, but the converse is not true. 

The longitudinal opening which is brought to view 
by separating the lips, and which leads to the vagina, is 
called the vulva. This word is derived from a Latin word 
which means " folding doors." The term is also used to 
include all the external generative organs of the female 
when spoken of as a whole. * Just inside of this opening, 
posteriorly, is a small gland which secretes a liquid to 
lubricate the parts. 



THE INTERNAL ORGANS. 1 73 

The Perineum. — The perineum is the space between 
the back part of the vulva, and the anus, or back passage. 
Though not properly belonging to the generative organs, 
it plays an important part at childbirth, as its ready dila- 
tation permits a speedy expulsion of the child, while the 
labor is greatly protracted if it is hard and rigid. It is 
often ruptured during labor, and, unless properly attended 
to at the time, a serious operation is required. 

All these parts are liable to disease and accident, and 
therefore a general knowledge of their structure and 
functions is necessary to an understanding of what may 
be hereafter said regarding the health of the parts. 

THE INTERNAL ORGANS. 

Theinternal organs of generation are: 1st, the vagina; 
2d, the uterus, or womb ; 3d, the Fallopian tubes and 
ligaments ; 4th, the ovaries. They are all hidden from 
view, and contained in the bony cavity, or basin, formed 
by the bones of the pelvis, or haunch bones. The 
bladder and rectum are also contained in this cavity, and, 
as they often bear important relations to the generative 
organs, they will be briefly described in connection there- 
with. 

The Vagina. — The vagina is a cylindrical canal which 
connects the internal with the external organs. It is com- 
posed of muscular fibers, and is lined with a delicate 
mucous membrane. At maturity it is from five to six 
inches long, and about one inch in width, but this varies 
materially under different circumstances in life. It is 
largely supplied with blood-vessels and nerves, and is 
highly sensitive, especially near its orifice, where the tis- 
sue is spongy and erectile. Its upper extremity is attached to 



174 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

the upper part of the neck of the womb, the womb being 
held by it like a cork in a bottle, except that the weight of 
the womb appears to invert the upper end in such a man- 
ner as to form a circular groove between the lower part of 
the neck of the womb and the walls of the vagina. It 
forms an outlet for the menstrual flow and for the passage 
of the child at birth. It is also the organ of copulation. 
It is subject to inflammation and other disorders which 
will be hereinafter described. 

The Uterus. — The uterus, or womb, is a hollow, pear- 
shaped organ, situated above the vagina and between the 
bladder and rectum. It is very small in early childhood, 
but grows rapidly, and reaches its full size at puberty, when 
it is about three inches long, two inches broad at its base, 
and from one to one and one-half inch broad at the neck. 
Its lower part, or neck, projects into the vagina, and is cov- 
ered by a mucous membrane which is continuous with 
that of the vagina. The mouth of the womb is a small 
oval aperture situated in the center of the lower extrem- 
ity of the neck, and can be readily felt with the finger in 
the vagina. From this a narrow canal leads into the 
cavity of the womb. The cavity is narrow below, but 
expands toward the base, and has an opening on each 
side which connects with the canals of the Fallopian tubes. 
The walls of the womb are composed of muscular fibers 
about half an inch in thickness, and are lined internally by 
mucous membrane. Externally the womb is covered by 
the peritoneum, a delicate investing membrane which cov- 
ers and holds-in position most of the organs of the abdo- 
men and pelvis. This membrane, through sympathy with 
the womb , often becomes the seat of inflammation, which is 
called peritonitis. 



_______ . , 





MISS VAN AUSTIN, 



THE INTERNAL ORGANS. 1 75 

The impregnated ovum, or egg, is retained in the 
womb, and is nourished through the period of develop- 
ment, and at maturity is expelled by muscular contraction. 

The Fallopian Tubes and Ligaments. — The Fallopian 
tubes are two small canals which extend from the upper 
part of the cavity of the womb to the ovaries. They are 
from four to five inches long, and are placed between two 
folds of peritoneum, which form the lateral or broad liga- 
ments. The external extremities of these tubes expand 
like a funnel, and have projecting from them a number of 
finger-like projections. One of these is attached to the 
ovaries, while the others are free, and float around in a 
vibrating, wavy manner. When the egg ripens in the 
ovary, these finger-like appendages grasp the ovary, and 
suck the egg into the expanded end of the tube, and it 
then passes along till it reaches the womb. The canal is 
very small, and would with difficulty admit the passage of 
the finest knitting needle. 

The ligaments, with one exception, are folds of the 
peritoneum, so arranged as to help to hold the womb in 
position. The broad, or lateral ligaments, inclose the 
Fallopian tubes and ovaries in their folds, and are thus 
more important than the others. There are two lateral, 
two anterior and two posterior ligaments formed by the 
peritoneum. The round ligaments are two small cords, 
six or seven inches long, which are attached to the sides 
of the womb, and pass up inside the pelvis, come out of an 
opening in the groin called the inguinal canal, and then 
divide into a number of little branches which pass into the 
tissues of the vulva. Their use is not known, but they are 
frequently the seat of inflammation when the womb is 
irritated. 



176 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

The Ovaries. — The ovaries, or egg-beds, are two 
small bodies in a degree analogous to the testicles of the 
male. They are situated one on each side of the womb, 
and about two and a half inches distant from it. Exter- 
nally they are covered by a dense, firm fibrous coat, 
which incloses a soft fibrous tissue, which is abundantly 
supplied with blood-vessels. In this tissue are found 
numerous small round bodies called Graafian vesicles. 
These are the sacs which contain the eggs, and, when 
ready to burst, they are found near the surface, so that, 
when the egg escapes, it is at once seized by the finger- 
like extremities of the Fallopian tubes and carried to the 
uterus. 

The ovaries are often the seat of disease, and it is 
sometimes necessary to remove them to effect a cure. 



CHAPTER II. 

MAIDENHOOD. 

MAIDENHOOD, in its broadest sense, means the state 
of being a virgin, but the term is used here to indicate 
the period between puberty and maturity, which covers 
about six to eight years. The term puberty is derived 
from a Latin word which means " to begin to have hair," 
and the name pubis is given to the bony prominence at 
the lower boundary of the abdomen, just above the gener- 
ative organs, where the hair grows. In its broader senses 
the word puberty is used to indicate the beginning of the 
period when people are capable of procreation, or bear- 
ing children. 

The age of puberty varies according to temperament, 
climate and mode of life. In girls it usually ranges 
from the twelfth to the fourteenth year, and in boys from 
the fourteenth to the sixteenth year. Girls develop more 
rapidly in warm climates, and puberty is sometimes 
attained as early as the tenth year, while in very cold 
countries it is not reached before the age of sixteen or 
even eighteen. In some cases even in our own climate 
girls are not developed till their sixteenth or seventeenth 
year. 

As the girl approaches puberty, hair grows around the 
generative organs, her breasts enlarge, her hips broaden, 
her limbs round out, and her whole form takes on a classic 
beauty. Like the budding flower, she expands in every 
way till at last she blooms forth a blushing maiden. New 



178 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

forces are now at work in her organism, and the romping, 
forward girl is lost in the retiring, bashful, sensitive being 
who has just crossed the threshhold that separates her 
from her brother and leads to the development of perfect 
womanhood. 

A new and individual functional life now begins, the 
nature of which should have been fully explained to her 
before, and by her mother. The ovaries and uterus, which 
have been undergoing a gradual development from baby- 
hood, now take on their special activities and the period of 
menstruation begins. It is the appearance of the menstrual 
flow that marks the sexual development that is complete 
at the age of puberty, and, when this occurs, the girl is 
capable of becoming a mother. 

It has long been the custom of physicians and parents 
to consider this as the critical period in the life of 
woman, and much has been said and written concerning 
the great care with which the girl should be watched dur- 
ing the first months of menstruation. This has been 
looked upon as the period of sexual development, while 
in fact the appearance of the menstrual flow marks the 
completeness of ovarian and uterine development, and 
the commencement of a health function which can only 
result from healthy and fully developed organs. 

Dr. Ely Van de Walker, writing on " The Genesis of 
Woman," in the Popular Science Monthly for July, 1 88 1 , 
touches the key-notes of this subject in the following 
words: 

" Young women become objects of parental and med- 
ical solicitude at a period when it will have but little 
influence on the perfection or imperfection of their sexual 
life. By the keenness of the vision directed to this period 



MAIDENHOOD. 1 79 

of woman's genesis, they are blinded to all the years of 
formative childhood. Perfect function is an expression of 
perfect organs. Women do not reach the inception of 
ovarian life with organs in an infantile condition. During 
the years of childhood structural evolution goes on, and 
ends in the climax of function. It naturally follows that 
during the period of structural development are sown the 
seeds of ovarian ill health." 

Dr. Van de Walker discusses the subject at length, 
and then draws the following conclusions: 

First. — " That sex, structurally and functionally, from 
infancy to puberty, is in a state of slow and progressive 
evolution." ^ 

Second. — " That the time occupied in the establish- 
ment of ovulation is not the true crisis in the development 
of women." 

Third. — " That under value has been given to sim- 
ple ovarian growth and function as a factor in the develop- 
ment of womanly mental and structural peculiarities." 

Fourth. — " That in a state of health the inception of 
the ovarian function is never paroxysmal or sudden." 

Fifth. — " That perfect structural development is fol- 
lowed by perfect function, and that the reverse of this 
is true." 

Sixth. — " That early diseased ovulation is mainly the 
result of physical, moral and hygienic faults of the true 
crisis of woman — that of formative childhood — rather 
than of the period of puberty." 

He then adds: " With these facts before us, is it not 
legitimate to assume that the puberic period in woman's 
life has been overestimated in its direct influence upon 
her health at that and subsequent periods? Instead of 



l80 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

curtailing her opportunities for work and study, by throw- 
ing around her restrictions, and, as it were, creating a 
disability out of a natural function, transfer the attention 
and anxiety now lavished upon her to a period when all 
that makes woman in the best and noblest sense is in the 
process of elaboration; for it is during this time of rapid 
structural change that the future good or bad health is 
determined. Let healthy ovulation be the natural out- 
come of healthy childhood, and the function will obey its 
law of periodicity year by year, and all this time the 
young woman is as able to sustain uninterrupted physical 
and intellectual work as the young man. I do not wish 
to be understood as saying that at puberty, or at any 
other period of woman's life, the laws of health may be 
violated with impunity, but that a law of health is no more 
binding upon the young woman than upon the young 
man; that really there is no such thing as one law for 
women, and another for men. But the law of the woman 
is not the law of the child. The woman must follow those 
laws of health that keep her healthy; the child must be 
trained to obey those which will insure health in the woman. 
If I am right in tracing ovarian functional derangement 
mainly to the structural crisis, it is evident that the child 
must be an object of careful attention. It is not my 
purpose to mention the causes which will vitiate the 
development of the child. I desire to direct attention to 
this period as one full of danger to the future woman. 
Lest I be accused of ascribing too many of the disasters 
to which the functional health of woman is liable to the 
period of childhood, I will say that women, and all the 
functions peculiar to their sex, are liable to accident and 
disease at any time; but, if we accept the evidence of the 



MAIDENHOOD. l8l 

intelligent people who have the opportunity of observing 
large numbers of young women in schools and colleges, 
the early period of sexual function is not so liable to 
disease as when women are called upon to perform some 
of the higher duties of their being, later in life. * * 
My aim has been to fix, if possible, the actual value of 
the puberic age of woman as a crisis, so that there may 
be no factitious bar to her progress to either a higher 
education, or for her training for any of the skilled labors 
suited to her strength." 

This is the only rational view to take of sexual devel- 
opment, and the chapters on " Babyhood," " Childhood" 
and " Girlhood," will fully consider the conditions under 
which such development can be brought about. Yet 
there are dangers incidental to puberty which must not be 
overlooked. 

I have already stated that at puberty the girl is capa- 
ble of becoming a mother. It is probable that in the 
early history of our race, before the stamp of civilization 
impressed itself upon mankind, woman may have been 
sufficiently developed physically to reproduce her kind; 
but, then, the necessities of providing for offspring were 
not recognized, nor was there any intellectual develop- 
ment to be considered. Under our present civilization, 
however, the girl who has just arrived at puberty has not 
fully matured. In fact, the sexual organs alone have 
developed sufficiently to prepare her for motherhood. 
Through centuries of heredity and environment her body 
has been doomed to a slow process of growth which is 
not complete till the age of twenty-one or twenty-two 
years at least; while opportunities of mental development 
have long been denied her at the very time when her 



1 82 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

brother is expected to make the most progress, because 
a natural function has been looked upon as a diseased 
condition which disqualified her from performing either 
mental or physical labor. The sooner women learn the 
fallacy of this idea the better it will be for the rising gen- 
eration. 

Let it be understood that maidenhood is the time to 
expand and develop the girl into perfect womanhood; let 
it be impressed upon every maiden that she is not yet 
fitted for the duties of wifehood and motherhood, except- 
ing in the sense that an animal is so fitted; let her under- 
stand that she has passed the days of girlhood, and that 
she must now fit herself for the more important moral 
duties of life. If she would be a housekeeper, this is the 
time for her to inform herself of all the important duties 
connected therewith; if she desires to pursue any special 
calling in life, now is the time she can do so to the best 
advantage; and, if she aims at a higher education, the 
years of maidenhood are the ones she should employ to 
place her by the side of her brother in the search for 
knowledge. 

At the same time she must observe the laws of health, 
she must take proper exercise to secure muscular devel- 
opment; she must be clothed so as to meet the vicissi- 
tudes of the seasons, and at the same time not interfere 
with any of the natural functions of the body, and, above 
all, she must avoid tight lacing, thin and narrow shoes, 
and high heels. 

Exposure to cold or wet at any time may result in 
sore throat, bronchitis, pneumonia, rheumatism, neuralgia 
etc., yet people are often so exposed without any bad 
results. So it is with exposure just before or during the 



HIGHER EDUCATION OF WOMEN. 1 83 

menstrual period. A person may be exposed a hundred 
times without any bad result, yet at any time such ex- 
posure may result in menstrual suppression or other 
functional disturbance. It is therefore especially advis- 
able to avoid getting the feet or clothes wet during the 
menstrual period. 

The injuries of tight lacing during maidenhood cannot 
be overlooked. The organs of digestion, as well as the 
womb and ovaries, are displaced by it, and hence con- 
gestion, inflammation and functional disturbances are 
sure to follow, and when they occur the cause is over- 
looked, and it is claimed that they are due to the tyranny 
of her organization. Again high-heeled boots change the 
natural axis of the body and give rise to uterine dis- 
placements which are supposed to be the natural heritage 
of women. 

If we are to have healthy women the years between 
puberty and maturity must be guarded so far as the 
observance of the general laws of health are concerned 
andthe correction of the errors of the past in everything 
that relates to women. 

HIGHER EDUCATION OF WOMEN. 

At this late day it is hardly necessary to make a plea 
for the higher education of women. They have so uni- 
versally demonstrated their fitness to pursue the higher 
education, and their ability to compete successfully with 
men, that their strongest opponents have been long since 
silenced. Yet many still adhere to the belief that the 
majority of girls are unfitted to pursue the same course of 
study as boys on account of the peculiarities of their sex. 
Dr. Maudsley, of London; Dr. Clark, of Boston, and others, 



1 84 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

have claimed that the menstrual function makes woman an 
invalid for one-quarter of each month, and thus renders 
her incapable of pursuing her educational advantages con- 
tinuously. When such a condition does exist, it will 
always be found to result from the tyranny of modern civ- 
ilization, and not from the tyranny of woman's organization. 
Perfect organization means perfect function, and any 
natural function does not interfere either with proper 
mental or physical effort. If it were true that woman is 
incapacitated for labor one-quarter of each month, why 
should not some sympathy be extended to the thousands 
of girls and women who are compelled to work the year 
round from early morning till late at night in the factories, 
stores, kitchens and fields all over the world. 

When this side of the question is touched, many are 
willing to acknowledge that the menstrual function is 
normal, and may be perfectly healthy, and that it is not 
deranged by physical labor; yet they adhere to the belief 
that in consequence of that function women differ from 
men in their modes of thought. They even say that this 
difference is noticed in early childhood, and, as an instance 
of it, quote the passion little girls have for dolls. I need 
not tell any one who has studied the habits of children 
that this supposed difference does not exist, except as it 
has been developed by environment. Give a little girl 
her choice between out-door sports and the most beauti- 
ful dolls, and see how soon the dolls are forgotten; observe 
how she deserts her doll for the rougher toys of her 
brother, and then say if, you can that the instinct of her 
sex makes her fond of dolls. 

Examine the brain of woman by the most careful 
examination to which it can be subjected, and you cannot 



HIGHER EDUCATION OF WOMEN. 1 85 

detect the slightest difference between it and the brain of 
man, except that in size it is proportionate to the body, 
which is smaller than man's on account of the lack of phys- 
ical exercise to favor development. But even in size the 
difference is not as great as has usually been claimed, but 
it is a well known fact that the brains of our great men 
have been taken as a standard, while those of women that 
have been examined have usually been taken from the 
unfortunate and usually uneducated class who die in our 
institutions. 

Now, if the brain in both sexes is the same, and is 
thought is a function of the brain, as is now generally 
believed by scientists, the methods of thought must in the 
main be similar. It is true that it is influenced by educa- 
tion and the surroundings of every-day life, but there is 
no more difference in the method of thought in the two 
sexes than there is in those of two individuals of the same 
sex. If woman has not thought as deeply as man, it is not 
because she is incapable of doing so, but because, till 
recently, she has not had the opportunity of preparing 
herself for so doing. Whenever she has had a chance, or 
when she has had the courage to win her way in spite of 
opposition and disadvantage, she has proven herself equal 
to her brothers. In the field of literature, on the stage, 
on the rostrum and in the medical profession, she has won 
golden opinions from an exacting world, and in all these I 
will defy the most acute critic to point out wherein her 
methods, or the results obtained, differ from those of 
men. 

The verdict of colleges where women are admitted 
on an equality with men, is that female students are as 
regular in attendance and as proficient in their studies as 



1 86 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

males. And this, too, at a time when the way is just 
beginning to be opened up to them, and when they have 
not had equal advantages of an early physical education. 
Carefully collected statistics prove that there is no truth 
in the old notion that, during the menstrual period, girls 
were unable to attend college or to pursue their studies. 
It is true that some girls break down in health while 
attending school, but in every instance the cause of their 
failing health will be found to be entirely independent of 
their menstrual function. 

Go where we will, examine this question from every 
possible standpoint, and we can find no evidence to prove 
that there is sex in mind or in education. All the differ- 
ences that do exist result from false usages of society, 
from the desire of our American mothers to worship at 
the shrine of fashion, upon whose altars they have for 
generations placed their daughters as willing sacrifices. 

The dawn of a new era has appeared, and more 
rational ideas of the education of women are occupying 
the attention of thinking men and women all over the 
world. It must be remembered that the formative period 
from infancy to puberty should be largely devoted to 
securing a healthy physical development, without which 
all attempt at education must prove a failure. Then the 
threshhold between girlhood and maidenhood is passed by 
the establishment of healthy sexual function, and the young 
woman is prepared to enter the lists with her brother and 
pursue the curriculum of college and university education 
with the same assurance of success as has heretofore been 
accorded to man alone. 

Now the girl is expected to complete her education 
at sixteen or eighteen, and to marry at twenty. Under 



HIGHER EDUCATION OF WOMEN. 1 87 

the more enlightened methods just beginning, her period 
of education, like her brother's, will extend to the age of 
twenty-one, by which she will have attained a degree of 
intellectual development that will enable her to under- 
stand the duties and obligations of womanhood and 
motherhood, which can alone fit her for wifehood. 

Her education must be directed primarily to a knowl- 
edge of herself, to the structural and functional laws of 
her being. Then she should be permitted to select such 
special studies as her tastes and inclinations dictate; and 
she should be made to understand that marriage for a 
home is degraded servitude, and that the self-supporting 
woman is sure to make a happy marriage, and to become 
a loving wife, a devoted mother, and a noble and re- 
spected woman. 



CHAPTER III. 

MENSTRUATION AND OVULATION. 

Menstruation - Ovulation — Absence of Menses — Suppression of 
Menses — Chlorosis — Painful Menstruation — Profuse Men- 
struation — Change of Life. 

Maidenhood is ushered in by the establishment of 
the normal ovarian and uterine functions, which are mani- 
fested by a sanguineous discharge from the vagina, and 
for which every girl should be prepared by a full explana- 
tion from her mother or teacher. This discharge occurs 
periodically once every twenty-eight days from the time it 
shows itself, excepting during pregnancy and the nursing 
period, for about thirty years. The term menstruation is 
the technical name by which this flow is usually desig- 
nated, and it means the flow of menses, or monthlies. It 
it also designated by many other names, as menses, month- 
lies, catamenia, courses, turns, terms, periods, flowers, 
monthly sickness, etc. Many of these names are purely 
local, and are therefore unintelligible to women in other 
localities. 

This flow of blood is always dependent on ovulation, 
or the ripening and escape of the ovum, or egg, from the 
ovary. It is generally supposed that menstruation and 
ovulation are one and the same process, but recent investi- 
gation has established the fact that, while menstruation 



MENSTRUATION AND OVULATION. 1 89 

cannot take place without ovulation, the latter does often 
take place without the former. 

It is estimated that there are at least thirty-six thou- 
sand ova, or eggs, in each ovary; therefore, in the human 
family, only a very small number of these meet with the 
conditions necessary for fruition. These eggs exist even 
in foetal life, and doubtless undergo a gradual development 
from birth to puberty. An examination of the ovaries 
just before puberty would show their surfaces studded 
with numerous nodules or projections, which are found to 
consist of sacs called Graafian vesicles, after the anatomist 
who first described them. These sacs contain the eggs 
that have attained the greatest development, and when 
puberty is reached one of these vesicles becomes con- 
gested and the further development of the eggs takes 
place more rapidly. The size of the egg and excessive 
amount of blood in the part cause the Graafian vesicle to 
rupture, and thus the egg escapes from the ovary. At this 
moment the finger-like extremities of the Fallopian tube 
grasp the ovary and the escaped egg is sucked into the 
canal that leads to the womb. As a rule it takes the egg 
about fourteen days to pass through the Fallopian tube 
and out of the womb, unless it is impregnated during its 
passage, in which case it is lodged in the womb. After 
the first egg escapes, it leaves a cavity in the Graafian 
vesicle, which gradually contracts into a small yellow spot, 
called, from its color, the corpus luteum, or yellow body. 
As soon as one egg escapes, another vesicle begins to 
enlarge, and in about four weeks it has matured, and 
escapes the same as before described. 

This process of the development of the egg and its 
escape from the vesicle is attended by a marked conges- 



190 FACTS FOR LADIES 

tion, not only of the ovary but also of the womb, and, as 
that organ contains a complicated net-work of blood- 
vessels, it is easy for those vessels to become distended 
with blood to their fullest capacity. 

In this engorged condition of the womb a consider- 
able amount of blood is filtered through the coats of the 
veins and through the mucous lining of the womb into 
its cavity, and from there it escapes by the neck of the 
womb into the vagina. It is this blood, mixed with 
mucus and scales from the mucous membranes of the 
parts through which it passes, that constitutes the men- 
strual flow, and it is clear that its appearance is due 
entirely to the process of ovulation. 

Normal menstruation should come on at regular 
intervals, without pain or sickness in any form, and, when 
these are present, they show that there is some abnormal 
condition of the womb or ovaries, or both. The flow 
lasts from three to six days, depending on the condition 
of the person, the plethoric or full blooded usually having 
a greater flow than the naturally delicate and nervous. 
In many cases, however, a profuse flow indicates general 
debility, even where no immediate symptoms of an 
unfavorable character are recognized. 

The menstrual blood in health resembles venous 
blood, except that it does not coagulate or clot when it 
comes in contact with the air. In all cases where the 
blood clots, the flow is attended with pain, and is there- 
fore unhealthy. 

As stated in the preceding chapter, the age at which 
sexual development terminates in the establishment of 
healthy function varies in different climates and in different 
individuals in the same climate. In Persia, Arabia, Egypt 




':/ 






ISABELLE URQUHART. 



MENSTRUATION AND OVULATION. 191 

and other parts of Africa the menses appear at the age of 
nine or ten years; in Italy, Greece and Spain, at about 
twelve; in our own country and those in corresponding lat- 
itude, it commences at fourteen or fifteen; while in elevated 
northern regions it does not show itself till after the twen- 
tieth year of age. Girls who are brought up amid the 
excitement and frivolities of city life, usually menstruate 
earlier than those who have developed among the healthy 
environments of the country; and brunettes menstruate 
earlier than blondes. But, when menstruation once sets in, 
it usually lasts in all alike for about thirty years; and, in 
calculating the time for the cessation of the menses, we 
have as a rule to find out the age at which the flow began, 
and, by adding thirty to that, we get the age at which we 
may expect the " change of life. " 

While healthy menstruation does not interfere with a 
woman's mental or physical labor, yet it does not follow 
that she should be imprudent and disregard the laws oi 
health at this time. Exposure to wet and rain will often 
result in an arrest of the flow, which may be followed 
by serious complications, but at another time a similar 
exposure might act as an exciting cause for an attack of 
rheumatism, neuralgia, pneumonia or bronchitis. In 
either case it is always safe to avoid at all times any 
unnecessary exposure of this kind. Though " Cleanliness 
is next to godliness," it must be borne in mind that cold 
water should not be used for local bathing during the 
continuance of the period. Use warm or even hot water 
to cleanse the parts, and, with most persons, an injection 
into the vagina, as hot as can be borne, may be used with 
advantage once a day during the continuance of the 
flow. 



192 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

After the flow has ceased, no woman should neglect 
to cleanse the vagina by a free injection of warm water. 
For this purpose a teaspoonful of pure carbolic acid 
should be put into a quart of tepid water, and this entire 
quantity thrown into the vagina with a fountain or bulb 
syringe. This removes all particles of blood and mucus, 
which might otherwise decompose and cause a disagree- 
able odor, if not an irritation of the vagina. 

In some cases a girl fourteen or fifteen may not have 
developed either in the breasts or hips, and of course the 
menses do not appear. In such cases no attempt should 
be made to force menstruation by any system of medica- 
tion, for the lack of development is an evidence that the 
system is not yet prepared for the establishment of the 
sexual function. In other cases, however, the physical 
development has gone on up to the time when the men- 
strual flow should appear, but it fails to do so. Here we 
have conditions that require special attention, which they 
will receive under the headings of " Absent Menstrua- 
tion," and " Chlorosis, or Green Sickness." 

ABSENT MENSTRUATION. 

Menstruation may be absent in consequence of the 
absence of the ovaries or womb, in which case the girl 
remains undeveloped, or even has a masculine appearance. 
There may also be a tardy development of the generative 
organs, as before stated. In both these cases we must 
wait so long as the general health does not suffer. 

Again, the development may be complete, the general 
health apparently good, and pronounced symptoms of 
painful menstruation present, yet no flow shows itself. 
In such cases there may be an occlusion or complete clos- 



ABSENT MENSTRUATION. 1 93 

ure of the mouth of the womb, of the vagina or vulva, or 
the hymen may close the opening completely. In all 
such cases the family physician should be consulted at 
once, and, if he seems in doubt, an experienced surgeon 
should be called without delay. 

When the body and generative organs are fully devel- 
oped and the menses do not appear at the proper time, 
we cannot fail to recognize a chain of symptoms that 
clearly indicate the nature of the trouble. The most pro- 
nounced symptoms are a sensation of fullness in the head, 
with a beating, throbbing headache; pain in the back and 
loins; slow pulse, irregular circulation, with hands and 
feet alternately hot and cold; a florid countenance, and, 
at times, a clammy skin, which again becomes harsh and 
dry. 

These symptoms are usually the outcome of sedentary 
life, and indulgence in rich and indigestible food, and are 
never met with in girls who have been properly reared 
according to the rules laid down in the chapter on " Child- 
hood. " 

Congestion of the womb and a sluggish or inactive 
condition of the blood-vessels of that organ give rise to 
these symptoms by preventing the menstrual blood from 
filtering through into the cavity of the womb. The 
result is that the womb and ovaries become enlarged, and 
and press upon the nerves that supply them, and the blood 
that should thus escape is by degrees returned to the 
the general circulation. Until the flow is regularly estab- 
lished these symptoms recur every month with increased 
severity, and in a short time the general health suffers, 
and the victim falls into a decline. 

Sometimes menstruation is established at the proper 
13 



194 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

time, and is suddenly suppressed. This may occur at 
any age, and may result from exposure to cold or damp 
during the menstrual period. Girls who have not been 
instructed, often make an effort to hide the blood on the 
first appearance of the menses by bathing the parts in cold 
water, thus suddenly contracting the blood-vessels of the 
womb and stopping the flow. Severe mental emotion 
preceding or during the flow may also cause suppression. 

On recovering from a fever, or other acute disease, the 
menses may fail to appear for some time, and in consump- 
tion and other wasting diseases they stop suddenly and 
remain permanently absent. 

Where the flow has once been normally developed 
and then remains absent, it is important to determine 
whether the cessation is due to pregnancy or not. If the 
symptoms above mentioned are not present, it is best to 
withhold judgment till a careful examination is made by a 
competent physician to determine the true state of affairs. 

Treatment. — In all cases of the non-appearance of the 
menses, the girl should take abundant exercise in the open 
air, the diet should be nutritious but plain and non-stimu- 
lating, a daily sponge bath should be taken followed by 
brisk friction with a coarse towel, and the bowels should 
be kept regular. When the fullness of the head and 
headache begin to come on, the feet should be bathed in 
hot water at bedtime, and a hip bath, as hot as can be 
borne, should be given two or three times a day, and hot- 
water bags should be applied over the lower part of the 
abdomen on going to bed. 

If the bowels are constipated they should be opened 
freely with an ounce of Rochelle salts, citrate of mag- 
nesia, or a dram of comp. jalap powder. To relieve the 



CHLOROSIS, OR GREEN SICKNESS. 1 95 

head and back, and at the same time to relax the tension 
of the womb, the following may be given with great 
benefit: Tincture of gelsemium (fresh root), one ounce; 
tincture of black cohosh, two ounces; simple syrup, 
enough to make six ounces. Dose — one teaspoonful 
after each meal and at bedtime. This treatment will 
usually bring on the flow, by causing a relaxation of the 
tension of the uterine vessels. 

In cases where the flow has been suppressed after 
having appeared, the hip baths and hot water bags must 
be used, and the above mixture given at the time the flow 
should appear. If it fails to do so, some aloes and iron 
pills should be obtained, and one should be taken after 
each meal and at bedtime till the time for the next period 
comes round. If severe inflammation of the womb is 
present, it may be relieved by frequent injections of warm 
water into the vagina, in which a teaspoonful of carbolic 
acid is dissolved in a quart of water. If this fails, a phy- 
sician should be consulted. 

CHLOROSIS, OR GREEN SICKNESS. 

Chlorosis, or green sickness, is a disorder of the gen- 
eral health, marked by languor, extreme debility and dis- 
ordered stomach. It is generally considered a disease of 
the blood, in which there is a deficiency of iron and the 
red corpuscles. The skin is of a yellowish or dirty cream 
color, which fact gives the disease its name. It most fre- 
quently occurs at puberty, and, when it does, the men- 
strual flow is scanty, painful and irregular, or entirely ab- 
sent. It may also occur later in life, when it is usually 
preceded by profuse menstruation and leucorrhcea. It is 
characteristically a disease caused by imperfect nutrition, 



196 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

and, when once developed, it is liable to give rise to St. 
Vitus' dance and other serious complications. 

The symptoms of chlorosis are great languor, dislike 
of exercise, fatigue on the slightest exertion, melancholy, 
love of solitude, disposition to weep without cause, im- 
paired or perverted appetite, coated tongue, constipated 
bowels, flatulence, offensive breath, palpitation of the 
heart, quick, weak pulse, frequent headache, and all the 
symptoms of indigestion. As the disease advances, the 
muscles become soft and flabby; the lips, gums and inside 
of mouth become pale and bloodless; and the skin takes 
on the characteristic greenish-yellow hue. The menses 
have not appeared, or are very scant at first, and then 
become entirely suppressed. A slight cough is often 
present, even when there is no indication of lung trouble. 
The tissues waste rapidly, and it seems that death is 
inevitable. 

Treatment. — The objects of treatment in chlorosis are 
to correct any disorder of the stomach, and remove any 
other disease that maybe recognized; to restore the blood 
to a normal condition by proper diet, exercise, bathing, 
and the use of iron and vegetable tonics; and to stimulate 
the womb and ovaries to healthy action. Constipation 
should be overcome by taking one compound podophyllin 
pill every night till the bowels move freely every day ; all 
articles containing starch or sugar should be excluded 
from the diet, and beef and mutton in various forms, with 
milk and eggs, should be given freely, and, to aid digestion, 
one teaspoonful of elixir pepsin, bismuth and strychnine 
should be given immediately after each meal. Fluid 
hydrastis may be given in ten-drop doses in a tablespoon- 
ful of water, fifteen or twenty minutes before each meal. 



DYSMENORRHEA, OR PAINFUL MENSTRUATION. I97 

This will be found a valuable stomach tonic, which soon 
creates a normal appetite and aids digestion. As soon 
as the stomach begins to perform its work properly the 
blood may be enriched by giving half a teaspoonful of 
dialyzed iron in a tablespoonful of water, an hour after 
each meal. 

After the general health begins to improve, the 
uterine function may be stimulated by twenty drop doses 
of tincture of black cohosh before each meal, and an 
aloes and iron pill an hour after each meal. 

There are, however, so many serious complications 
met within this disease, that it is never well to depend on 
home treatment. An experienced physician should 
always be consulted, and the treatment carefully carried 
out under his directions. In this way, and by careful 
attention to proper hygienic surroundings as fresh air, 
sunlight, moderate exercise, cheerful company, and 
wholesome, nutritious food, all cases of chlorosis can be 
radically cured. 

DYSMENORRHEA, OR PAINFUL MENSTRUATION. 

As previously stated, normal menstruation should 
not be attended by pain, languor or inconvenience of any 
kind; in many women the flow is so often preceded or 
accompanied by, pains in the back, lower part of the 
abdomen and limbs, that it is believed that such pains 
are natural to menstruation. Such pains, though unnatural, 
are usually slight and of short duration, and are not con- 
sidered as painful menstruation. 

When the pain lasts during the continuance of the 
flow, and causes intense suffering, we have a diseased con- 
dition which is called dysmenorrhea, or painful menstrua- 



198 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

tion. Ph3^"sicians have recognized three distinct forms of 
this disease, which are described as mechanical, congestive 
and neuralgic dysmenorrhcea. 

Mechanical dysmenorrhcea is caused by a stricture or 
undue narrowness of the canal leading from the cavity 
through the neck of the womb. In these cases the men- 
strual blood accumulates in the cavity of the womb faster 
than it can pass out of this constricted canal, and hence 
nature attempts to force the blood out by uterine contrac- 
tion, thus causing pain similar to that of childbirth, which 
continues till all the blood is forced out of the womb. 

In congestive dysmenorrhcea, the mucous membrane 
lining, the canal and cavity of the womb, becomes so filled 
with blood that the diameter of the canal is encroached 
upon andtemporarily obstructed. This prevents the blood 
from escaping in the same manner as the stricture does, 
and the contractions of the womb again cause the pain, 
which continues till all the blood escapes. If the conges- 
tion continues for some time, and finally ends in inflamma- 
tion, long shreds of membrane are thrown off from the 
cavity of the womb, and the passage of these causes still 
more severe pain than the other forms of the disease. 
When inflammation is present the patient suffers consider- 
ble pain during the interval between the menstrual 
periods. 

Neuralgic dysmenorrhcea is recognized by sharp, 
darting, cutting pains, starting in the region of the 
womb, and extending to the ovaries, back and thighs, and 
in some cases similar pains are felt in the breasts. These 
pains occur at intervals for three or four days preceding 
the appearance of the menses. During the flow there 
may be no pain part of the time, and then severe ex- 



DYSMENORRHEA, OR PAINFUL MENSTRUATION. 1 99 

pulsive pains, resembling labor pains, will come on at 
intervals of a few minutes apart. The flow is very scant 
at first, but gradually becomes free as the pain par- 
tially or entirely ceases. This form of the disorder may 
result from cold, and only occur at one period, or it 
may become habitual, being very mild during some 
periods, and greatly aggravated at others. 

No woman requires to be told that she has painful 
menstruation, but, with the exception of the neuralgic 
variety, she cannot tell what variety she suffers from; and, 
as the treatment depends on an accurate knowledge of 
the condition of the womb, the physician should make 
an examination before commencing treatment. 

It will be found that mechanical dysmenorrhcea is 
most common among maidens who have just begun to 
menstruate, and who have suffered from the first period. 
Yet cases are also found later in life, especially among 
women whose wombs have been injured by different 
labors or criminal abortion. Young girls may also suffer 
from the congestive form, but this and the inflammatory 
conditions are more commonly met with among married 
women. The neuralgic variety may occur at any period 
of life, but is most commonly met with among unmarried 
women about the age of thirty. 

Treatment. — Mechanical dysmenorrhcea must be 
treated by mechanical means. Cutting the canal through 
the neck of the womb to make it larger is practiced by 
many specialists, but is mentioned here only to be con- 
demned as a general practice. In some cases the mouth 
of the womb is almost occluded, and here the cutting is 
necessary. Dilatation by sponge and sea-tangle tents is 
also resorted to for the purpose of enlarging the canal, 



200 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

and, when no other means are at hand, it may answer the 
purpose, though it is painful and often tedious. By the 
use of modern instruments for dilatation, by skillful hands 
all mechanical obstructions can be removed so that the 
menses will come and go without pain or suffering of any 
kind. 

The pain of congestive and inflammatory dysmen- 
orrhcea is best relieved during the period by the free use 
of hot hip-baths and the administration of the following: 
Tincture of gelsemium (from fresh root) one-half ounce; 
tincture skunk cabbage (fresh root), one ounce; viburnum 
compound (Hayden's), enough to make six ounces. Mix, 
and take one teaspoonful in one-third goblet of boiling 
water every half-hour till relieved. During the interim 
between the periods the congestion or inflammation should 
be cured by proper local treatment. 

Neuralgic dysmenorrhea may be relieved by the 
mixture above recommended, and it should be given in 
the same way. Where the disease is habitual, greatbene- 
flt is derived by continuing to take one dose of the same 
mixture after each meal and at bedtime during the 
interim between the periods. Unmarried women over 
twenty-five who suffer from this form of dysmenorrhea 
will almost invariably find permanent relief from marriage, 
the reason for which will be given in a subsequent chap- 
ter. 

MENORRHAGIA, OR PROFUSE MENSTRUATION. 

The term menorrhagia means an increase in the men- 
strual flow, a condition which is commonly called profuse 
menstruation. This may occur at any period of life, in the 
full-blooded and robust, or in the feeble and delicate. 



CHANGE OF LIFE. 201 

Some women always have a profuse menstrual flow, and 
yet appear to be in good health, but, as a rule, such a flow 
indicates either an excessive quantity of blood in the sys- 
tem, or a general weakness which permits almost an 
actual hemorrhage from the womb. 

In some cases the menstrual flow occurs every two or 
three weeks, or even oftener, and again the periods may 
occur regularly, but the quantity of blood lost is very 
excessive. In some cases the discharge is normal men- 
strual blood, while in others it seems like a hemorrhage 
from the uterine blood-vessels. In these last-mentioned 
cases the blood coagulates, or clots, in the womb, as well 
as in the vagina, and after it has escaped from that canal. 

The usual symptoms of menorrhagia: General debility, 
paleness of face, cold feet and hands, severe pain in lower 
part of the back and abdomen, severe headache at times, 
and derangement of the stomach. It may be caused by 
cold, severe exertion, mental emotions, excessive sexual 
indulgence, severe child-birth, and abortion. Aside from 
the general condition of the system, the uterus is almost 
always in an unhealthy condition when profuse menstru- 
ation occurs, and it is therefore important that proper 
medical skill should be employed at the earliest possible 
moment. During the profuse flow the patient should keep 
quiet, and avoid all undue exertion, and if the case is 
severe she should remain in bed till the flow stops. As 
soon as it does so, the general and local treatment should 
be commenced, and continued through the interum. 

CHANGE OF LIFE. 

The ovarian and uterine functions continue operative 
for a period of thirty or thirty-two years, after which there 




202 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

is a cessation of the menstrual flow. This indicates a ces- 
sation of ovulation, after which a woman is incapable of 
bearing children. 

This climacteric period is called the menopause, or 
" change of life," during which women have been taught 
to expect that they must of necessity be invalids, and that 
it is a critical period through which they cannot pass 
without great suffering, and danger to life and reason. 
This is a great mistake, and every effort should be made 
to make women understand that the ailments incident to 
this period are due to some previous disorder of the 
uterus or ovaries, or to some other diseased condition of 
the body. 

In healthy women the menses cease for good with 
no more inconvenience or suffering than attends the ces- 
sation of each monthy flow, and it is absurd to suppose 
that every woman must be an invalid for three or four of 
the best years of her life. 

About the forty-fifth year of age the menses begin to 
be irregular, and after a few months cease entirely. In 
tropical climates the cessation maybe several years earlier, 
while some women reach the menopause much earlier 
than others, even in the same latitudes. On the other 
hand, many women menstruate regularly till their forty- 
eighth or fiftieth year. 

Among those who suffer at the " change of life," 
hot flashes is the most common symptom. This is first 
felt as a sudden heat of the body, which usually rushes to 
the head and face, sometimes causing dizziness. This 
feeling is often followed by a perspiration, and then a 
sensation of chilliness. Sometimes a chill precedes the hot 
flashes. 



CHANGE OF LIFE. 203 

Profuse hemorrhage often sets in after the menses have 
been absent for several months, or it may occur every 
month for a long time before the final cessation. 

Loss of memory, and other mental symptoms, are 
often met with, and for a time occasion great anxiety. 

Indigestion, constipation, eruptions on the skin, and 
sleeplessness are also among the conditions met with. 

Treatment. — It is of the first importance to impress 
upon women approaching the menopause, that the change 
is a natural one, and that they should not suffer from the 
disorders they have been taught to believe to be insepara- 
ble from this period of life. Out-door exercise should be 
insisted on, and also the proper ventilation of the sleeping 
apartment. Constipation should be overcome, and atten- 
tion should be paid to the condition of the stomach. To 
relieve the hot flashes and dizziness, ten drops of fluid 
extract of ergot, three or four times a day, will be found 
of great value, after the bowels have been moved freely. 
Those who prefer it can take a one-grain ergotin pill after 
each meal and at bedtime. Should this symptom con- 
tinue, or hemorrhage occur, or loss of memory or other 
nervous symptom supervene, the family physician should 
be consulted. He will certainly find some cause for these 
disorders other than the simple functional change, and, 
having found them, can usually relieve the sufferer in a 
short time, and thus disabuse her mind of the idea that the 
tyranny of her organization makes her an invalid at this 
period of her life. 



CHAPTER IV. 

WOMANHOOD AND WIFEHOOD. 
Courtship — Marriage — Celibacy — Sterility. 

At the age of twenty-one or twenty-two the maiden 
who has improved her opportunities for mental and phys- 
ical development should be prepared to enter upon the 
serious duties of life. Under a rational system of educa- 
tion, however, she will not consider that marriage is the 
only avenue open to her. She should be prepared to 
enter upon such vocation as her ability and inclination 
qualify her .to fill, and she should pursue her calling with 
the expectation that she has to win her own way through 
life. It is only in this way that perfect womanhood can be 
developed; and, when women come to realize the value of 
independence, they will learn how much their sex will 
gain in everything that makes life worth living, over their 
sisters who, in the past, have been taught to believe that 
every woman's aim in life was " to get a husband. " 

The time has come when woman should not be 
dependent on man for protection and support; but, pos- 
sessed of a healthy physical and mental organization, she 
should stand by his side as an equal in the fullest sense of 
the term. Every road to distinction should be open to 
her, and she should be eligible to any position in life she 
is qualified to fill. There should be no such thing as 
man's rights, or woman's rights, but equal rights should 
be everywhere recognized as the only true principle for 
the government of the world. What is right for man to 



WOMANHOOD AND WIFEHOOD. 205 

do should be right for woman, and what is wrong for 
woman to do should be equally wrong for man to do. 
Woman should be recognized as a rational, thinking being. 
She should neither be a toy, a slave, nor a shrined god- 
dess, around whose altar the idle drones of society are 
expected to worship; but a companion, a friend, a help- 
mate and a safe adviser to man. There should be no 
rivalry between the sexes, for there is plenty of room for 
both. Under such a system all women would not aim to 
be lawyers and doctors, any more than all men do now; 
but men and women would still be found for every posi- 
tion of life, and labor of every kind should be paid for in 
proportion as it is well or poorly done, without regard to 
the sex of the operator. 

Every true woman should have an aim in life, and 
this would enable her to meet man on a social and intel- 
lectual plane, where true and noble friendships could 
exist between the sexes without fear of the imputation of 
wrongdoing from slanderous tongues; and every human 
form would bear the stamp of that nobility that comes 
from earnest, honest toil. In such a life, men and women 
would have abundant opportunity of studying each other, 
and similar qualities of mind would gravitate together, 
and culminate in that true marriage described by Theodore 
Parker as " a continually falling in love." 

All this would not unsex woman, nor rob her of a 
single womanly charm. On the contrary, health, educa- 
tion and equality would add to her charms and graces a 
hundred fold. While she would win preferment, and 
retain it, for her ability alone, she would still be loved and 
cherished as a mother, sister and wife; and she in her turn 



206 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

would love a father, brother, or husband with all the 
ardor of her being. 

Independent womanhood is the first step toward 
breaking the yoke that has so long degraded the weaker 
sex, and entailed so much misery, disease and premature 
death upon mankind. It saves woman from loveless 
marriages, from legalized prostitution and from unwel- 
come motherhood, and it must eventually redeem the race 
from all the follies and crime that beset our generation. 

Our present social condition, in by far the majority 
of cases, robs woman of her womanhood, denies her the 
realization of her bright dreams of the happiness of wedded 
life, fades the bloom of youth and the smile of gladness 
from her face, makes her old before her time, and con- 
signs her to a life of neglect and drudgery, if not to an 
invalid's bed, long before she has reached her prime. The 
causes that lead to such conditions are ignorance, unbridled 
passion, cupidity and bigotry; and, if we would bring 
about reform, we must fearlessly expose existing evils, and 
if possible point out the better way. 

COURTSHIP. 

It may seem strange to some that the subject of court- 
ship should be referred to in a work such as this, and yet 
the careful reader will find that it has an important bearing 
on the health and general well being of women. 

The saddest conditions are apparent, at the present 
day, in so-called fashionable society, where parents force 
their daughters to use all their arts to catch desirable 
husbands, long before they are capable of understanding 
the duties of womanhood. With nothing else to occupy 
their minds, these ignorant children, for they are nothing 



COURTSHIP. 207 

more, rush headlong into the frivolities of the hour, and 
are ready to fall in love with the first man of supposed 
wealth who speaks to them pleasantly. They dance, take 
long evening walks, and submit to flattery and petting 
every night for a season, and then find themselves engaged 
to some one they know nothing of, or awake to realize that 
they were the victims of a summer flirtation. In either 
case they are worn out physically, and find themselves 
complaining of headache, palpitation of the heart, back- 
ache, nervous irritability, and often pronounced hysteria. 
In one case preparations for the wedding are begun, and 
the little remaining energy is exhausted by the never- 
ending shopping excursions and visits to the dressmaker 
and milliner, while the hours between evening and midnight 
are again spent in company with the aforesaid prospective 
husband; and before the marriage day arrives the bride is 
more fitted for a hospital than the bridal home. In 
the other case the victim of the flirtation feels that she 
has lost an opportunity, and at once sets to work to find 
another. 

Under a rational system of education, girls would 
find enough to occupy their minds in their studies and the 
prosecution of such duties as would fit them for useful 
positions in life. When they had developed into perfect 
women, both mentally and physically, in constant associa- 
tion with their brothers from their earliest childhood, true 
love would spring up between men and women as the 
natural outcome of our social natures, and the unhappy 
marriages, disappointments, misery and subsequent 
divorces now so common would be unknown. 

I do not wish to be understood as being opposed to 
love, but I do protest against the physical and selfish mani- 



208 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

festations of love which are usually exhibited during 
courtship and after marriage. Perfect love should be an 
intellectual and moral attraction. A couple who begin a 
courtship should differ in temperament sufficiently to show 
a contrast of complexion and bodily activity, and a suffi- 
cient difference in mental inclinations to stimulate interest 
without direct antagonism. Persons of like complexion, 
like inclinations, like habits, and like tastes, are sure to tire 
of each other, and hence courtship in such cases should 
be avoided. When personal beauty or passionate desire 
leads to courtship, love dies on the threshold of marriage, 
and health and beauty fade from the woman's face ; and, 
when wealth or social position are the chief factors, self- 
abasement and unending regret are added to the burdens 
to be borne. 

Women should ever bear in mind that the period of 
courtship has more to do with their future than marriage. 
It is here that the pros and cons should be weighed; that 
the heart should be questioned as to the true nature of the 
feelings that are filling their breasts; that they should 
know if there lurks within them a single wish for some- 
thing more in the men who would woo them; for, when 
the marriage vow is spoken, it is too late to discover the 
mistakes that are so often made, and they must bear all 
the suffering and sorrow that come to women who have 
made loveless marriages. 

MARRIAGE. 

Marriage is the basis of our social structure, as well 
as a compliance with the laws of nature; and, in spite of 
all the discord and misery growing out of ill-assorted mar- 
riages, it cannot truthfully be said to be a failure. With 



MARRIAGE. 209 

love and adaptability as a foundation, marriage promotes 
happiness, stimulates a desire for mutual improvement of 
the contracting parties, and adds numerous blessings to 
future generations by giving to the world offspring with 
perfect mental and physical development. When other 
and baser motives prompt to it, discontent, heart-aches 
and misery are sure to follow. A late writer on this 
subject places before his readers some plain truths in the 
following brief paragraph: 

" ' Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way,' that 
leads to a true marriage. Selfish motives, that so easily 
obtain supreme control in the heart, lead to ill-assorted, 
wretched marriages. To marry for money, to marry for 
position, to marry that you may not ' turn brown and be 
an old maid,' is to marry in the spirit of selfishness, ruin- 
ous selfishness, and not for love's sake. 

" ' Hasn't every woman a right to look out for her- 
self ?' indignantly asks one of the fair. Yes; but, when 
you begin to talk about looking out for yourself, you 
venture on dangerous ground. You should remember 
that your married life may call you to self-sacrifice, not to 
self-indulgence. The constantly turning wheel of fortune 
may bring poverty and sickness, and, if you have not love 
enough for a man to go through fire and flood for his sake, 
you had better never marry him. If you marry for any- 
thing but love, you marry for what may perish in a 
night. # # # There are two lines, often sung, 
and said to be sacred, but we think they are not: 

" There is no union here of hearts, 
That finds not here an end." 

" No, a true union of hearts not even death can end, 
and may your marriage, my fair friend, be a true union of 
14 



2IO FACTS FOR LADIES. 

hearts, a true marriage, such as will be yours not only 
through life here, but in the life beyond, where souls 
rejoice forever in a perfect union." 

Because a couple may be unhappy in their married 
life, it does not follow that one is to blame more than the 
other, or that either has an unamiable disposition. Each 
may be capable of loving and making some one else happy, 
but they have made a mistake. An incompatibility in 
the marriage relation exists, they do not harmonize, they 
antagonize each other, and unhappiness and misery must 
result. The world is full of such mismated couples, and 
they are sure that " marriage is a failure." 

Can these unhappy marriages be prevented? We 
answer, yes! Let us broaden our methods of education 
by educating the sexes together, and let adaptability be 
the basis of all courtship, and marriage will soon be freed 
from the misery and sorrow it now so often entails. A 
knowledge of the temperaments and the law of conjugal 
selection should be acquired by all who contemplate mar- 
riage, and, with this as a guide, it will be found that true 
and lasting love will surely take root in its own proper soil. 

The late S. R. Wells* gives a brief description of the 
temperaments, and the law of conjugal selection, which 
we cannot do better than reproduce here. 

" Prominent among the conditions affecting the hap- 
piness of married couples is temperament ; and this is one 
of the first things to be considered by those contemplating 
matrimony. To enable the reader to fully understand 
our teachings on this point, we here give a brief descrip- 
tion of the three primary temperaments. 

* "Wedlock; or, the Right Relation of the Sexes." By S. R. Wells. 
New York: Fowler & Wells Co. 1888. 



MARRIAGE. 211 

" Temperament is a particular state of the constitu- 
tion, depending upon the relative proportion of its differ- 
ent masses or systems of organs. We are accustomed to 
consider these constitutional conditions as primarily three 
in number, called, respectively, the motive temperament, 
the vital temperament, and the mental temperament. 

" The first is marked by a superior development of 
the osseous and muscular systems, forming the locomotive 
apparatus; in the second, the vital organs, the principal 
seat of which is in the trunk, give the tone to the organ- 
ization; while in the third, the brain and nervous system 
exert the controlling power. 

I. " The Motive Temperament. — In this temperament 
the bones are comparatively large and broad rather than 
long, and the muscles only moderately full, but dense, 
firm, and tough. The figure is generally tall, the face 
long, the cheek bones rather high, the neck long, the 
shoulders broad, and the chest moderately full. The 
complexion and eyes are generally, but not always, dark, 
and the hair dark, strong and rather abundant. The 
features are strongly marked, and the expression striking, 
and sometimes harsh or rigid. The whole system is char- 
acterized by strength and capacity for endurance, as well 
as for active labor. Persons in whom it predominates 
possess great energy and perseverance, and, in other 
respects, are strongly marked characters. They are ob- 
servers rather than thinkers, and are better suited to the 
field than to the council chamber. They are firm, self- 
reliant, constant in love and in friendship, fond of power, 
ambitious, and sometimes stern and severe. This temper- 
ament in its typical form is not common among women, 



212 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

in whom it is modified by a large proportion of the vital 
element of the constitution. 

2. " The Vital Temperament. — -The vital tempera- 
ment is marked by breadth and thickness of body rather 
than by length. Its prevailing characteristic is rotundity. 
The chest is full, the abdomen well developed, the limbs 
plump and generally tapering, and the hands and feet rela- 
tively small. The neck is short and thick, the shoulders 
broad, the chest full, and the head and face inclining to 
roundness. The complexion is generally florid, the eyes 
and hair light, and the expression of the countenance 
pleasing, and often mirthful. 

" Persons in whom this temperament predominates 
are both physically and mentally active, and love fresh air 
and exercise, as well as lively conversation and exciting 
debate, but are, in general, less inclined to close study or 
hard work than those in whom the motive temperament 
takes the lead. They are ardent, impulsive, versatile, and 
sometimes fickle; and possess more diligence than per- 
sistence, and more brilliancy than depth. They are fre- 
quently passionate and violent, but are as easily calmed 
as excited, and are cheerful, amiable and genial in their 
general disposition. The vital temperament is noted for 
large animal propensities generally, and especially ama- 
tiveness, alimentiveness and acquisitiveness. Benevolence, 
hope and mirthfulness are generally well developed. 

3. " The Mental Temperament. — This temperament 
is characterized by a rather slight frame; a head relatively 
large; an oval or pyriform face; high, pale forehead; deli- 
cate and finely cut features; bright and expressive eyes; 
slender neck; and only a moderate development of chest. 
The hair is generally soft and fine, and neither abundant 



MARRIAGE. 213 

nor very dark; the skin soft and fine, and the expression 
of the face varied and animated. 

" Sensitiveness, refinement, taste, love of the beautiful 
in nature and art, vividness of conception, and intensity 
of emotion mark this temperament in its mental manifesta- 
tions. The thoughts are quick, the senses acute, the imag- 
ination lively, and the moral sentiments generally active 
and influential. 

"Balance of Temperaments. — When either of the 
temperaments exists in excess, the result is necessarily a 
departure from symmetry and harmony, both of body and 
mind, the one always affecting the character and action of 
the other. Perfection of constitution consists in a proper 
balance of temperaments. 

" The Law of Conjugal Selection. — With regard 
to the proper combinations of temperament in the mar- 
riage relation, physiologists have differed, one contending 
that the constitutions of the parties should be similar, 
while others, on the contrary, have taught that contrast 
should be sought. It seems to us that neither of these state- 
ments expresses fully the true law of the selection. The 
end to be aimed at is harmony. There can be no harmony 
without a difference, but there may be a difference without 
harmony. It is not that a woman is like a man that he loves 
her, but because she is unlike. The qualities which he 
lacks are the ones in her which attract him — the personal 
traits and mental peculiarities which combine to make her 
womanly; and in proportion as she lacks these, or pos- 
sesses masculine characteristics, will a woman repel the 
opposite sex. So a woman admires in man true manliness, 
and is repelled by weakness and effeminacy. A woman- 
ish man awakens the pity or contempt of the fair sex. 



214 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

" This law, we believe, admits of the widest applica- 
tion. The dark-haired, swarthy man is apt to take for his 
mate some azure-eyed blonde; the lean and spare choose 
the stout and plump; the tall and the short often unite, 
and plain men generally win the fairest of the fair. 

" In temperament, as in everything else, what we 
should seek is not likeness, but a harmonious difference. 
The husband and wife are not counterparts of each other, 
but complements — halves which, joined together, form a 
rounded, symmetrical whole. In music, contiguous notes 
are discordant, but, when we sound together a first and a 
third, or a third and a fifth, we produce a chord. The 
same principle pervades all nature. Two persons may be 
too much alike to agree. They crowd each other, for two 
objects cannot occupy the same place and the same time. 
While, therefore, we do not wholly agree with those 
who insist upon the union of opposites in the matter of 
temperaments, we believe that a close resemblance in 
the constitution of the body between the parties should 
be avoided, as not only inimical to their harmony 
and happiness, but detrimental to their offspring. If 
the mental temperament, for instance, be strongly 
indicated in both, their union, instead of having a sedative 
and healthful influence, will tend to intensify the already 
too great mental activity of each, and perhaps in the 
end produce nervous prostration, and their children, if, 
unfortunately, any should result from the union, will be 
likely to inherit in still greater excess the constitutional 
tendencies of the parents. A correspondence of the vital 
element in one of the parties would tend not only to a 
greater degree of harmony and a more healthful influence, 
but to a more desirable and systematic development 



MARRIAGE. 21 5 

and complete blending of desirable qualities in their 
offspring. 

" A predominance of the vital or of the motive tem- 
perament in both parties, though perhaps less disastrous 
in its results, favors, in the same way, connubial discord, 
and a lack of balance in offspring. 

" When the temperaments are well balanced in both, 
«the similarity is less objectionable, and the union, in such 
case, may result favorably, both as respects parents and 
children ; but perfect balance in all the elements of tem- 
perament is very rare ; and, wherever there is a deficiency 
in one party, it should, if possible, be balanced by an 
ample development in the same direction in the other, 
and vice versa." 

As a rule the husband should be four or five years 
older than the wife. In many cases the difference may 
be much greater, and yet the marriage be a happy one. 
Fifteen years should, however, be the limit of the differ- 
ence. In spite of all that may be said to the contrary, 
the marriage of a young girl to a man old enough to be 
her father, is always a failure. It is an unnatural alliance, 
and it is unreasonable to expect that there should be any 
love on the part of the wife. It is simply a sale of her 
person for a home or some other consideration, which 
cannot but destroy her health and mar her whole life. 
On the other hand, the wife should not be older than the 
husband. Though there are many instances where such 
marriages proved exceptionally happy, yet as a rule the 
time comes when such a difference causes trouble. 

Early marriages are rarely conducive to happiness. 
Young men and women should have some experience with 
the world, as well as such mental and physical development 



2l6 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

as will fit them for the serious duties of matrimony before 
entering upon it. A man should not marry till the age of 
twenty-four or twenty-five, and a woman should be at 
least twenty-one years old. It is not true that early mar- 
riages protect against vice. The unmarried, when properly 
employed before the ages just given, are not so apt to 
become passionately aroused, as is generally claimed, 
while the marital excesses following early marriages often 
sow the seeds of ill health in both husband and wife, 
and bring forth offspring with deficient vitality. Dr. Dio 
Lewis writes as follows: " I have recently read a very 
interesting book, published in England, in which it was 
shown, that, of the fifty most remarkable men in the his- 
tory of that country, a great majority were born of mothers 
nearly or quite forty years old. When it is remembered 
that a very large portion of the children born in England 
come from young mothers, this testimony is all the more 
significant." 

Cousins often marry without bad results to themselves 
or their offspring, but it is universally conceded that it 
is better for relatives not to marry. 

On this subject George Combe, in his " Constitution 
of Man," writes as follows: " Marriage between blood 
relations tends most decidedly to the deterioration of the 
physical and mental qualities of the offspring. In Spain, 
kings marry their nieces; and in England, first and second 
cousins marry without scruple, although every philosoph- 
ical physiologist will declare that it is in direct opposition 
to the institutions of nature. 

" If the first individuals connected in near relationship, 
who unite in marriage, are uncommonly robust, and pos- 
sess very favorably developed brains, their offspring may 



MARRIAGE. 21 7 

not be so much deteriorated below the common standard 
of the country as to attract particular attention, and the 
law of nature is, in this instance, supposed not to hold; 
but it does hold, for to a law of nature there never is an 
exception. The offspring are uniformly inferior to what 
they would have been if the parents had united with 
strangers in blood of equal vigor and cerebral develop- 
ment. Whenever there is any remarkable deficiency in 
parents who are related in blood, these appear in the most 
marked and aggravated forms in the offspring. The fact 
is so well known that we forbear to enlarge upon it." 

Prof. Wm. B. Carpenter, in his " Principles of 
Human Physiology," presents the following startling facts: 
" Out of 359 idiots, the condition of whose progenitors 
could be ascertained, seventeen were known to have been 
the children of parents nearly related by blood, and this 
relationship was suspected to have existed in several other 
cases, in which positive information could not be obtained. 
On examining into the history of the seventeen families, to 
which these individuals belonged, it was found that they had 
consisted in all of ninety-five children; that of these no 
fewer than forty-four were idiotic, twelve others were 
scrofulous and puny, one was deaf, and one was a dwarf. 
In some of these families all the children were either 
idiotic or very scrofulous and puny; in one family of eight 
children, five were idiotic. " 

These opinions are generally sustained by physiolo- 
gists, and should be a sufficient warning to prevent the fre- 
quent occurrence of marriages between blood relations. 

Persons afflicted with incurable diseases should not 
marry, as the disease is likely to be communicated to the 
offspring. 



21 8 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

CELIBACY. 

Health demands that every organ of the body shall 
perform its normal function, and the sexual organs are no 
exception to the rule. Celibacy, therefore, is a crime 
against nature, which cannot be too severely denounced. 
Marriage is in accordance with the laws of nature, and 
rounds out and makes perfect the lives of both men and 
women. Every woman in good health should marry, no 
matter what her position in life may be. As a rule " old 
maids" grow old before their time, and do not enjoy as 
good health as married woman. They frequently suffer 
from congestion of the womb, leucorrhoea and aggravated 
hysteria, simply because the sexual part of their nature is 
not satisfied, and it too often happens that the cause of 
their ill-health is entirely overlooked. 

It is true that many of the brightest and most intel- 
lectual women the world has ever known never married; 
but we do not know how much more they might have 
been, had they known what it was to live perfect lives. 
On the other hand, we do know that thousands have been 
doomed to lives of sickness and sorrow which might have 
been averted by marriage. It is only in rare cases, how- 
ever, that the sufferer has any knowledge of the cause of 
her trouble, and would even deny the fact after it had been 
made clear to her. 

STERILITY. 

Sterility, or barrenness, is a subject of great impor- 
tance to the medical profession, as well as to a rapidly 
increasing number of women. A healthy woman should 
be capable of bearing children during the whole of her 
menstrual life, which extends over a period of thirty years. 



STERILITY. 219 

Yet thousands of married women go through life without 
ever being pregnant, a circumstance which is usually a 
source of regret both to themselves and their husbands. 

The causes of sterility are numerous, and in the 
majority of cases they may be overcome by proper treat- 
ment. It most frequently happens that the woman is at 
fault, but this is not always the case by any means. 
Whenever married people are desirous of offspring, and 
they fail to come within a reasonable time, it is always 
best that the wife should consult a competent physician, 
with the view of ascertaining where the defect lies. 

The causes of sterility in woman are usually so ap- 
parent that they can be easily recognized, and they may 
be enumerated as follows: Leucorrhceal discharges, dis- 
placement of the womb, ulceration of the womb, inflam- 
mation of the neck of the womb, internally or externally, 
undue constriction of the mouth or neck of the womb, 
occlusion of the vagina by some membrane existing from 
birth or developed by adhesive inflammation, and injuries 
resulting from previous criminal abortion. If any of 
these conditions be found, proper treatment should be 
begun at once, as they can all be overcome. If, how- 
ever, the menstrual function is normal, and there is no 
appearance of leucorrhcea, no pain in the back and loins, 
or dragging sensation around the hips and lower part of 
the abdomen that would suggest displacement of the 
womb, and the marriage is a happy one, it maybe inferred 
that the fault is not with the woman. In such cases the 
husband should consult a physician, and ascertain if any 
lack of vitality exists that would render him sterile. 

In some cases intercourse is impossible, oris attended 
with great pain to the woman. This is due to a great 



220 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

thickening of the hymen, or the fragments of it, with con- 
traction of the muscles of the vagina on the slightest irri- 
tation, and is known to the profession as vaginismus. 
When such a condition is present the woman is neces- 
sarily sterile till an operation is performed for its relief. 

Sterility is a common sequence of marriages in which 
the temperaments are closely similar. In such cases neither 
husband nor wife is to blame, as has ofcen been demonstrated 
by both having children by second marriages after being 
divorced, or both having had children by previous mar- 
riages. 

Among the most common causes of sterility at the pres- 
ent day are the disorders developed as direct sequences 
of the various unnatural methods adopted to prevent 
conception during the first years of married life. In fact, 
it may be stated, without fear of contradiction, that in a 
large majority of cases sterility results from the violation of 
natural laws, either during the formative years from infancy 
to puberty, or after the sexual function has been estab- 
lished. 

Whatever the cause of sterility, it is a mistake to 
believe that it cannot be overcome. I could recount scores 
of cases in which all hope of offspring had been given up, 
and yet after a course of proper treatment, years of wait- 
ing and longing have been rewarded by the birth of chil- 
dren. Let it be understood, then, that the majority of 
cases of sterility are due to removable causes, and much 
longing and heart-ache may be averted. 



CHAPTER V. 

MOTHERHOOD. 

Conception and Pregnancy — Signs of Pregnancy — Foetal Develop- 
ment — Maternal Changes During Pregnancy — Hygiene of 
Pregnancy — Disorders of Pregnancy. 

Motherhood is the crowning glory of womanhood, 
and every true woman who is happily married cannot but 
feel a thrill of pleasure at the thought of clasping her 
own new-born babe to her breast. Yet, woman should 
understand the duties and responsibilities of maternity 
before entering upon them, for the future well-being of 
her offspring depends not alone upon her ability to care 
for it after birth, but upon her own mental and physical 
condition at the time of conception, and during the whole 
period of utero-gestation. Motherhood should at no time 
be the result of accident, but of design. When offspring 
is desired, both husband and wife should be in perfect 
health, and free from all anxiety and care, and mutual 
desire should prompt the sexual act. The following nine 
months should be free from all cause of anxiety to the 
expectant mother, and she should be surrounded by 
everything that would please the eye, improve the mind, 
arouse ennobling thoughts and aspirations'. Under such 
circumstances the child is born under conditions to which 
it is entitled, and cannot but prove a blessing to its parents, 
and an honor to mankind. The child of accident, on the 
other hand, may be puny, nervous, quarrelsome, vicious, 



222 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

and even criminal, through no fault of its own, but as a 
result of the ignorance and venality of its parents. There- 
fore, I affirm that parents have no right to beget children 
unless they are in proper condition to insure them physical 
health and moral strength. It is the right, and should be 
the privilege, of every woman, to control her maternal 
function, and to select the time when she desires to have 
a child. This can be easily done by observing the physio- 
logical law stated in a previous chapter; and, under a 
rational system of marriage, women would be better fitted 
to give birth to and rear children, and large families would 
be the rule, instead of the exception, as it is to-day, among 
those who are the best able to care for them. 

It too often happens that the poor and uneducated 
have large families which they cannot properly provide 
for, and thus are furnished the recruits for the ranks of 
the paupers and criminals; while the society women who 
have married without love, resort to unnatural methods 
of prevention and abortion to escape motherhood entirely. 
These facts have been recognized by our ablest economists 
and scientists, and they have spoken on the subject with 
no uncertain words. John Stuart Mill says: " It is 
strange that intemperance in drink, or any other appetite, 
should be condemned so readily, when incontinence in 
this respect should always meet, not only with indulgence, 
but praise. Little improvement can be expected in moral- 
ity, until the producing too large families is regarded with 
the same feeling as drunkenness, or any other physical 
excess." 

Dr. Edward Reich says: " After reviewing the mul- 
titudinous evils which result to individuals and society 
from the too rapid increase of families, it is much to be 




GLADYS. 



MOTHERHOOD. 223 

wished that the function of reproduction be placed under 
the dominion of the will." 

Dr. Naphey says: " Men are very ready to find an 
excuse for self-indulgence, and, if they cannot get one 
anywhere else, they seek it in religion. They tell woman 
it is her duty to bear all the children she can." 

Dr. Pancoast says: " Had woman the possession of 
herself, and the control of her maternal functions and 
duties, instead of grievous sufferings and privations, she 
would have health and beauty, not only of her own organi- 
zation, but she would become the mother of children 
equally vigorous and lovely. Surely nothing is more 
wicked than to bring into the world such numbers of 
helpless and innocent beings to doom them to poverty, 
ignorance and crime, because of their parents' inability to 
make necessary provision for them." 

Dr. John H. Dye says: " I am convinced, from care- 
ful study and extensive research, that society or popula- 
tion would not suffer if the act of generation was wholly 
under the dominion of the will." 

Other things being equal, women who are fully ma- 
tured give birth to better developed children, both mentally 
and physically, than very young women. It is equally true 
that nearly all of the great men the world has ever known, 
inherited most of their characteristics from their mothers, 
and owe their greatness, in a large measure, to their teach- 
ings and influence. 

How important, then, that women should understand 
the laws of their being, that they should realize the impor- 
tance of the requisites for a true marriage, that they should 
conceive and bring forth their offspring under proper con- 
ditions, and that they should know how to rear their chil- 



224 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

dren during their formative years; for it is only through 
the influence of enlightened motherhood that we can 
expect any advancement in our social conditions. 

CONCEPTION AND PREGNANCY. 

Conception is a term used to designate the bringing 
together of the vital elements of the male and female, 
necessary for procreation. It is the fecundation or im- 
pregnation of the female ovum, or egg, by the positive 
contact of the male sperm and the subsequent attachment 
of this ovum to the interior of the womb. It is a ques- 
tion of doubt where this union takes place. Some author- 
ities claim that the male sperm passes through the uterus 
and Fallopian tube, and impregnates the ovum before it 
leaves the ovary, while others believe that it may be im- 
pregnated at any point in its passage before it escapes 
from the womb. It is, however, reasonable to suppose 
that impregnation may take place at any point in the Fal- 
lopian tube, as this canal is so small that the sperm could 
hardly pass the egg in its passage outward. This contro- 
versy, however, is of no importance to the general public 
for practical purposes. 

As previously stated, conception is most likely to 
occur immediately after menstruation, and those who 
desire offspring would do well to fix the connubial act 
during the three or four days immediately following 
the cessation of the flow. After the lapse of twelve 
days impregnation rarely occurs, and many well-known 
authorities even go so far as to say that it is impossible 
after that time. 

Excessive sexual indulgence will often prevent the 
fecundated ovum from adhering to the womb, and thus 



CONCEPTION AND PREGNANCY. 225 

prevent conception even when it is most desired. An 
important lesson should be learned from this, and it 
should be borne in mind that when offspring is desired 
strict continence should be observed for at least a month. 
This insures greater virility to the male sperm as w r ell as to 
the future offspring. 

While it is generally conceded that the most perfect 
children are produced when the woman enjoys the sexual 
act, yet it is a well-known fact that enjoyment is not 
necessary for conception. Women often conceive when 
they submit to the embraces of their husbands with 
loathing and disgust, but, when such' is the case, the 
children suffer a moral and physical blight that follows 
them through life. 

Pregnancy is the term applied to the condition of the 
woman from the moment of conception to the birth of the 
child, and it covers a period of two hundred and eighty 
days, dating from the last menstrual flow. Sometimes it 
terminates sooner than this, and again it may cover a 
period of over ten calendar months. 

It is not an easy matter to ascertain the commence- 
ment of pregnancy. The time of the last menstrual flow, 
and quickening, are taken as the usual guides, but these 
are uncertain, as conception may take place during men- 
struation, or the menses may continue for some months 
during pregnancy; while the time at which life is felt dif- 
fers considerably in different women. In consequence of 
this uncertainty, laws have been enacted in different coun- 
tries fixing the period within which the child is acknowl- 
edged as legitimate. In France, the " Code Napoleon " 
fixes three hundred days after the absence, divorce, or 
death of the husband as the time within which a child 



226 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

must be born, to be legitimate; in Prussia, three hundred 
and one days are allowed; in Scotland ten calendar months 
are considered the extent of legitimacy; while in England 
and America the time is not determined by law. 

The earliest period at which a child can be born after 
marriage is also an important question, as it often involves 
the happiness of families, the reputation of the mother, 
and the legitimacy of offspring. The seventh month is 
usually considered the shortest period in which a child can 
be born and live, yet instances are reported where the 
period of utero-gestation has not exceeded six months, 
and in Scotland a child is considered legitimate when born 
six months after marriage. Great caution should, how- 
ever, be observed in giving an opinion on this subject, as 
the variations of development are not fully understood, 
even at this late day. 

We speak of pregnancy as simple when there is one 
foetus in the womb; as compound or multiple, when there 
are more than one; as complex \ or complicated, when there 
is some morbid condition of the womb or its appendages 
present besides the foetus, as a mole, hydatid tumor, polypus 
or tumor of the ovary. When the ovum, after impregna- 
tion, fails to reach the womb, and becomes partially devel- 
oped outside of it, we have what is called extra-uterine 
pregnancy; and, when accumulations form in the womb and 
simulate pregnancy, when no conception has taken place, 
we have false pregnancy. 

SIGNS OF PREGNANCY. 

The signs by which pregnancy is recognized are far 
from certain, and often mislead the most experienced phy- 
sicians. Women who have always menstruated regularly, 



SIGNS OF PREGNANCY. 227 

and find a cessation of the menses after intercourse, natu- 
rally infer, however, that they are pregnant, and they are 
generally correct. When this is followed by abdominal 
enlargement and " the sensation of life," at the proper time, 
the inference is strengthened almost to a certainty, yet all 
these signs may exist without pregnancy. 

Though many women who have once been pregnant 
claim to know when conception takes place, from some 
peculiarsensation which follows fruitful intercourse, yet it is 
impossible to diagnose pregnancy during the early weeks. 

The authorities divide the signs of pregnancy into 
rational and sensible. The rational is again divided into 
general, local and sympathetic, while the sensible signs are 
divided into the visible, audible and tangible. Among the 
general signs the following may be enumerated: The pulse 
is stronger and more frequent, and in the latter months of 
less volume and intermittent; respiration is more rapid, and 
the heat of the body is increased; the secretions are more 
abundant; increased sensitiveness is observed, and a com- 
plete change of disposition sometimes takes place; if pre- 
vious disease exists, its progress is either retarded or rapidly 
intensified, and the system becomes more liable to take on 
disease. 

The local signs are suppression of the menses without 
other derangement of the general health, change in the 
color of the vulva from a pinkish to a bluish tint, and the 
appearance of brownish or yellowish patches on the fore- 
head, cheeks, neck and breasts. 

The sympathetic signs are nausea, morning sickness, 
acidity of the stomach, and heartburn during the early 
months, and constipation, piles and headache during the 
latter months. 



228 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

These signs are only important when recognized in 
connection with the sensible signs given below. 

The visible signs are, the enlarged, rounded and tense 
condition of the breasts, which develops in the early 
stages; the increase in the size of the nipples; the change 
from a natural pink to a deep brown in the color of the 
areola, or rings, around the nipples, soon after conception; 
the secretion of milk, gradual enlargement of the abdomen 
after the third month ; and quickening, or the fluttering 
sensation felt after the fourth month, which is supposed to 
indicate the viability of the foetus. 

The audible signs are those that can be heard by 
placing the ear on the naked abdomen or by the use of 
the stethoscope. They are the placental sound caused 
by the circulation of the blood through the vessels of the 
womb and placenta, or afterbirth; and the sound of the 
foetal heart. These sounds can be recognized between 
the fourth and fifth month, and, when both are heard, they 
furnish positive evidence of pregnancy. 

The tangible signs are such as can be recognized by 
touch, and are among those upon which the physician 
relies when making a careful examination. The princi- 
ple ones are the enlargement and hardness of the womb, 
as felt over the surface of the abdomen and by vaginal 
examination; the passive motion of the foetus in the 
womb, called ballottement\ and the position and changes 
in the condition of the neck of the womb during the dif- 
ferent stages of pregnancy. 

These latter signs are by far the most certain, 
especially when taken in connection with the pulsation of 
the foetal heart; while the cessation of the menses, morn- 
ing sickness, and even a sensation similar to quickening, 



FGETAL DEVELOPMENT. 229 

may occur from many other conditions without concep- 
tion. 

FCETAL DEVELOPMENT. 

A minute description of the development of the 
ovum and foetus cannot be attempted in a popular work 
of this character, and in fact no description is necessary 
for the purposes of the work; but a subject of such 
absorbing interest can hardly be passed over without 
mention. 

The human ovum, or egg, like that of all animals, is 
primarily a simple cell consisting of a nucleus and a mass 
of protoplasm. Within the nucleus is another small body 
called the nucleolus. In the egg-cell the protoplasm 
becomes the vitellus, or yelk, the nucleus changes to a 
large colorless vesicle called the germinal vesicle, and the 
nucleolus remains as a dark body known as the germinal 
point. In the further process of development an envelope 
or covering is formed around the cell, which, on account 
of its perfect transparency, is called the zona pellucida. 
It is also called the chorion, from the Greek word which 
signifies skin. Soon after the egg is discharged from the 
ovum the germinal vesicle disappears, it being either 
absorbed by the yelk or forced through the investing 
membrane. 

It is in this condition that the egg is met by the sper- 
matozoa, or vivifying principle of the male. These little 
bodies were long regarded as actual animals, but it is now 
positively known that they are simple cells, and they are 
called male sperm-cells. When the simple male cell 
comes in contact with the female egg-cell, the two coalesce 
and form a new cell, entirely different from either, which 
Haeckel calls the parent-cell. 



230 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

In speaking of this coalescence of the male and female 
cells, Haeckel says: 

" The result of this is, that, in the first place, the egg- 
cell is rendered capable of further evolution; and, secondly, 
that the hereditary qualities of both parents are trans- 
mitted to the child. 

" The. fertilized egg-cell is, therefore, of a nature 
entirely different from that of the unfertilized egg-cell. 
For, since we regard the sperm-cell as well as the egg-cell 
as true cells, and since fertilization essentially consists in 
the amalgamation of the former with the latter, therefore 
the cell which results from this amalgamation must be 
regarded as an entirely new, independent organism. It 
contains, in the protoplasm of the sperm-cell, a portion of 
the paternal, male body, and, on the other hand, in the 
protoplasm of the original egg-cell, a portion of the mater- 
nal, female body. # # # T\iz new 
cell, which is the rudiment of the child, the newly gener- 
ated organism, originates in an actual amalgamation, or 
coalescence, of the two cells." 

In from twenty-four to thirty hours after the forma- 
tion of this parent-cell a single nucleus is formed near its 
center, and, by a process known as egg-cleavage or seg- 
mentation, this nucleus divides into two nuclei, and those 
again divide until by repeated cleavage an infinite number 
of cells are generated, which are closely pressed together 
so as to present a mulberry appearance. A clear, watery 
fluid collects in the center, and presses the cells to the 
surface, and by degrees a layer of cells is formed and is 
called the blastodermic membrane. This membrane next 
divides into two layers of cells, the outer layer being 
called the ectoderm , and the inner layer the endoderm. A 









FCETAL DEVELOPMENT. 23 1 

third layer is developed later, between these two, which 
is called the mesoderm, and this is finally divided into an 
outer and inner layer. It will thus be seen that at one 
stage of development the embryo is composed of four dis- 
tinct layers. 

It is claimed, that, in the further development, the 
brain, spinal cord, organs of special sense, the genito- 
urinary system, the glandular structures, the skin, hair, 
nails and epidermis are all formed from the outer cell- 
layer, or ectoderm, the muscles of the trunk and the bones 
are formed from the second layer, or outer layer of the 
mesoderm', the blood-vessels, blood, heart, and the 
muscular and fibrous tissues of the alimentary canal come 
from the third layer, or inner layer of the mesoderm; 
while the fourth layer, or endoderm, forms the epithelium 
that lines the walls and glands of the stomach and 
intestines. 

Immediately after the blastodermic membrane has 
divided into the two layers, an opaque collection of small 
cells is formed, which is called the embryonic spot. This 
spot soon becomes elongated into a faint line, which is the 
first trace of the embryo, and is called the primitive trace. 
In front of this line two folds are formed, and these form 
a groove in a line with the primitive trace. These folds 
extend above the groove, and form two dorsal plates, which 
gradually unite, and inclose a canal, which afterward con- 
tains the brain and spinal cord. In the same way similar 
layers are given off from the under surface of the blasto- 
derm, which coalesce and form the abdominal cavity. In 
the meantime the points for the development of the head 
and lower extremities have become located and curved in 
the form of a crescent, with a prolongation of the vitelline 



232 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

mass extending from the concave surface of the body of 
the embryo, and connected to it by a small duct. This 
prolongation is called the umbilical vesicle. Blood-vessels 
appear on this vesicle, the object of which is to supply 
nutritive material to the embryo, till it can derive its 
nourishment from the uterus, after which the vesicle dis- 
appears. Soon after the formation of the umbilical vesi- 
cle, double folds formed from the external layer are thrown 
off from the extremities of the body of the embryo, and, 
when they meet and coalesce, they form what is called the 
amniotic cavity or sac. This cavity fills with a fluid, called 
the liquor amnii, in which the foetus floats till the time of 
labor. This sac or membrane breaks during the first stage 
of labor, and the liquor amnii escapes. It is commonly 
called the " bag of waters," and the escape of the fluid is 
spoken of as the " breaking of the waters. " 

During the development of the amniori another body, 
called the allantois, appears, and it derives its name from 
the Greek, and means " sausage-shaped." It grows rap- 
idly, and divides into three parts, one of which forms the 
urinary bladder; another, the umbilical cord; and the 
third surrounds and replaces the old chorion or investing 
membrane, and becomes the true chorion, or inclosing 
membrane. 

While these changes are going on in the ovum, 
correlative changes are taking place in the uterus. 
The mucous membrane becomes congested, and, by a 
rapid throwing off and organization of epithelial cells, a 
new membrane is formed, which lines the entire uterine 
cavity. This membrane is called the decidua, or deciduous 
membrane, because it is only temporary, and is thrown off 
when it has served its purpose. 



FOETAL DEVELOPMENT. 233 

On its descent from the Fallopian tube, the parent- 
cell, which has undergone development, at least so far as 
the formation and division of the blastodermic membrane, 
is lodged in one of the folds of this deciduous membrane, 
by which it soon becomes surrounded. As the ovum 
increases in size, it crowds into the cavity of the womb, 
and carries with it the portion of the decidua by which it 
is surrounded. The decidua is now well developed, and 
the part inclosing the ovum is called the decidua reflexa, or 
reflexed decidua, and the part that lines the cavity of the 
womb is called the decidua vera, or true decidua. The part 
thatlies between the ovum and the nearest point of the uter- 
ine wall is called the decidua serotina, or late decidua, 
because it was the latest developed. At about the end of 
the third month these two layers of decidua come together 
and are completely blended into one. At the point called 
the late decidua, the blood-vessels of the allantois, which 
form the umbilical cord, develop the placenta, or after- 
birth. 

The plastic material known as protoplasm, at first 
supplies nourishment to the parent-cell; then the blasto- 
dermic membrane must effect oxidation in the struc- 
tures of the embryo till the umbilical vesicle is formed 
and supplies the nutrition. In the uterus the allantois sup- 
plies the nutrition by absorption from the decidua ; and, 
finally, upon the development of the placenta, with its 
numerous blood-vessels, intimately connected with the 
blood-vessels of the womb, the nutrition is derived directly 
from the mother, in the same way as are the several organs 
of her body supplied. 

For a more concise account of the development of the 
fcetus in the successive months of pregnancy, I condense 



2 34 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

the following paragraphs from Prof. Wm. T. Lusk's 
" Science and Art of Midwifery," which will be seen to 
cover ten lunar months of twenty-eight days each: 

First Month. — At the end of the second week, the 
embryonic spot is seen, with the two dorsal plates. The 
embryo is one-twelfth of an inch in length. In three 
weeks the embryo is one-sixth of an inch long, the cephalic 
or head extremity is enlarged, and the back is curved like 
a crescent. At four weeks the length is one-third of an 
inch, the eyes at the side of the head, and the ears 
behind them. The extremities are indicated by four small, 
bud-like processes. The intestinal canal is formed, also 
the beginning of the spinal cord. 

Second Month. — From the sixth to the seventh week 
the embryo measures about one inch along the curve of 
the back, bony material begins to form in the lower jaw 
and collar bone, and the extremities are clearly indicated. 

Third Month. — The embryo is between three and 
three and one-half inches in length toward the end of the 
third month. The placenta is formed, though small, the 
cord is quite long and twisted, the ribs are formed, all the 
bones have begun to harden, and all the parts are recog- 
nizable, but the head is much larger in proportion, and 
separated from the trunk by a well-defined neck. 

Fourth Month. — Toward the end of the fourth the 
placenta has increased in size and thickness, the cord is 
three times as long as the foetus. The foetus measures 
from four to six inches, and the head is one-fourth the 
length of the entire body. The bones of the head are 
partly hardened, but the sutures are widely separated. 
The mouth, eyes and ears are in their proper places. The 
skin is firm, and the hair begins to form on the scalp. 



FCETAL DEVELOPMENT. 235 

The sex is distinguishable, and toward the end of the 
month slight movement of the limbs takes place. 

Fifth Month. — The foetus measures from seven to 
ten inches, and weighs nearly ten ounces. The head is 
still unduly large, and the face has an old look, and fine 
hair covers the whole surface of the body. The foetal 
movements are now distinctly felt by the mother, a sen- 
sation that is called " quickening," or " feeling life." 

Sixth Month.— At the end of the sixth month the 
length is from eleven to thirteen inches, and the weight 
about twenty-three ounces. The eyelids separate, and fat 
begins to be deposited. A foetus born at this time breathes 
feebly, but dies in a very short time. 

Seventh Month. — The length is now fourteen or fifteen 
inches, and the weight about thirty-nine ounces. The skin 
is wrinkled, red, and covered with a white, sticky substance. 
Children born between the twenty-fourth and twenty- 
eighth weeks move their limbs and cry feebly at birth, but 
cannot live more than a fewhours, or a day or two at most. 

Eighth Month. — The foetus now measures sixteen or 
seventeen inches, and weighs on an average a little over 
three pounds. The hair increases in thickness, the skin is 
smoother, and the navel is near the center of the body. A 
child born during this period will often live when properly 
cared for. 

Ninth Month. — The length at this time does not vary 
more than half an inch from the last, and the weight is 
about four pounds. The face is rounded, wrinkles are 
nearly all gone, the hair disappears from the body, and 
the head is well formed, though the bones bend easily. 
Children born at this period are less energetic than at full 
time, but are likely to die from lack of care. 



236 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Tenth Month. — During the first two weeks of this 
month the length is about eighteen or nineteen inches, and 
the weight about five pounds. 

The Foetus at Term. — At the end of the full term 
the child at birth is plump and well rounded, the skin has 
lost its deep red color, and the hair as a rule has entirely- 
disappeared from the body. It cries lustily soon after 
birth, moves the limbs freely, and nurses when put to the 
breast. In the first few hours it should pass urine, as well 
as a black or brownish-green substance from the bowels. 

The average length at birth is from twenty to twenty- 
one inches, and the weight ranges from five to fourteen 
pounds, but the average weight is about seven pounds. 
Cases do occur where the weight is sixteen or eighteen 
pounds, but they are very rare. 

The term ovum properly means the unimpregnated 
egg, though it is often applied to the impregnated egg till 
it is lodged in the womb and surrounded by the decidua. 
Embryo is the term applied to the impregnated ovum in 
the early stages of its development, which properly begins 
the first day of fecundation, and extends till the end of 
the third month, though some say it should extend to the 
period of" quickening." After life is felt, the term fcettts 
is used till the time of birth, when child or infant is the 
proper term. These words are, however, often used 
synonymously. 

MATERNAL CHANGES DURING PREGNANCY. 

From the very beginning of pregnancy, the womb 
becomes engorged with blood, and a gradual increase in 
the size of the organ takes place. This increase of size is 
not due to stretching, but is an actual growth of the mus- 



MATERNAL CHANGES DURING PREGNANCY. 237 

cular fibers of which the womb is composed. The walls 
of the abdomen are put upon the stretch by the growth of 
the womb, and by the fifth month the depression of the 
navel begins to diminish, by the seventh month it is level 
with the surrounding skin, and during the last two months 
it often protrudes. During the last three months the skin 
of the abdomen is marked by reddish, bluish, or glisten- 
ing, white streaks, which do not disappear after delivery. 

The abdomen gradually increases in size till the end 
of the eighth month, when the uterus has reached its 
highest point in the abdomen, and the greatest prominence 
is above the navel. About two weeks before the full term 
the womb sinks into the pelvic cavity, and the prominence 
above the navel is greatly diminished, and the greatest 
protrusion is seen at the lowest point of the abdomen. 

Previous to pregnancy the breasts are firm and 
rounded. About the second month they begin to enlarge, 
and they seem uneven and knotty to the touch. The 
veins enlarge, and are plainly seen under the skin, while a 
darting, shooting pain is sometimes felt. The nipples 
become lengthened, and often sensitive to the slightest 
touch, and, as before mentioned, the dark circle surround- 
ing them takes on a darker hue, and the sweat follicles 
become considerably enlarged. 

Quickening, or the feeling of the motion of the foetus 
that indicates life, is a peculiar sensation to the expectant 
mother. When first felt, it is more a nervous thrill than 
a motion, and, when once felt, it is never forgotten. 

The appetite is often capricious, and there is fre- 
quently a longing for some article of food that is disliked 
at other times; and in some cases women who are gen- 
erally healthy are invalids during the whole term of 



238 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

pregnancy. On the other hand, women who are puny 
and sickly as a rule, frequently enjoy the best of health 
while pregnant, but relapse into chronic ill-health soon 
after confinement. The nervous system is more sensitive 
during pregnancy, and for this reason it is important that 
pregnant women should avoid everything calculated to 
make any unpleasant impressions upon them. 

It often happens that women who have suffered from 
uterine diseases and displacements for years, are entirely 
cured after giving birth to a child, and being properly 
cared for afterward. This is due to the entire change 
which takes place in the womb during gestation, which 
practically amounts to the production of a new organ. 

HYGIENE OF PREGNANCY. 

As the pregnant woman is required to supply nutri- 
tive material, not only for repairing the waste in her own 
body, but also for the development of another human 
being, it is necessary that she should observe such laws of 
health as will favor the most perfect nutrition. 

The pregnant woman requires an increased amount of 
oxygen, as is demonstrated by the fact that an increased 
amount of carbonic acid gas is thrown off by the lungs. 
To supply this oxygen an abundance of fresh, pure air is 
requisite, and this can only be had by spending considera- 
ble time in the open air, and having the living-rooms and 
sleeping-rooms well ventilated. The living-rooms, during 
winter, should be kept at a temperature of 70 , or very 
little over, and a window in the sleeping-room should always 
be kept open all night, even in very cold weather. 

Regular and systematic out-door exercise should be 
persisted in from the time of conception, and nothing is 



HYGIENE OF PREGNANCY. 239 

more conducive to health than walking. It is not the 
thing to take a walk one day, and remain in the house the 
rest of the week. A brisk morning walk of half an hour 
and an afternoon walk of an hour will be found of great 
benefit. Such walks will expand the lungs, strengthen the 
muscles, aid digestion, overcome constipation, and drive 
away the " blues." Delicate women should begin with 
short walks, which can be gradually increased as they 
increase in strength, which they are sure to do in a very 
short time, 

Every article of dress should be loose and comfort- 
able. Skirts should be suspended from the shoulders, 
and the stockings supported by side elastics, instead of 
garters. Corsets should not be worn, or made so loose as 
to admit of no possible pressure. Flannel should be worn 
next the skin, and the feet and legs should be warmlv 
clad. 

Bathing is of great importance to keep the skin 
active, for in this way the kidneys are relieved of a por- 
tion of their work, which is often rendered difficult by 
direct pressure. A good warm bath, of the temperature 
of 100°, should be taken about twice a week, before retir- 
ing, and the tepid or cold sponge-bath every morning 
immediately after arising, will be found healthful and 
invigorating. Hot foot-baths are also serviceable to relieve 
cold feet and to quiet nervousness before retiring. Brisk 
friction, with a Turkish towel, should be applied after all 
baths, as it draws the blood to the surface, and thus brings 
about a pleasant reaction. 

A vaginal douche usually proves a source of comfort. 
It is best applied with a fountain syringe, and no more 
than a pint of tepid water should be used at a time. It 



240 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

should be introduced slowly, and allowed to pass out of 
the vagina readily. It can be used with advantage night 
and morning. 

Eight hours' sleep should be the minimum for the 
pregnant woman, and this she can generally secure by 
proper attention to her general condition of health. 

The diet should be selected from the most nutritious 
and easily digested articles of food, and should be suffi- 
ciently varied to suit the palate. As the stomach requires 
rest as well as any other part of the body, it is a great mis- 
take to be constantly putting food into the stomach at short 
intervals. Three meals a day at fixed hours is much bet- 
ter than the " little and often" theory. A very large 
appetite in pregnant women is not natural, and, therefore, 
when present, it should be restrained. A mixed diet of 
meat and vegetables is the best, but care should be taken 
to avoid pastries and confectioneries, while pure sugars 
and starches should be used with great moderation. These 
articles tend to produce acidity of the stomach, heart- 
burn and colic. The food should always be thoroughly 
masticated before swallowing, therefore plenty of time 
should be taken at meals. 

DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY. 

The nervous system is made up of two systems of 
nerves. One originates from the brain and the spinal 
cord, and supplies the nerves of motion and sensation, as 
well as those of the special senses, and is called the cere- 
brospinal system of nerves. The other is composed of 
ganglia, or knots of nerve-cells, connected by nerve bands 
with each other, with the several internal organs and with 
branches of the cerebro-spinal system, and they are situ- 



DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY. 24 1 

ated in the large cavities of the body. This system is called 
the great sympathetic nerve, because it forms the intimate 
connection between the several organs, and it is through 
this connection that the womb is brought in strong ner- 
vous sympathy with every part of the body. 

When the womb is aroused to a state of activity by 
pregnancy, its muscles, absorbents and blood-vessels 
become enlarged, and, by pressure or change of position, 
some irritation or stimulus is applied to the uterine nerves, 
which, through the great sympathetic, gives rise to condi- 
tions that are regarded as indications of pregnancy. In 
many cases, however, this irritation is so severe and pro- 
tracted as to cause disturbances of a serious character, 
which are usually classed as " disorders of pregnancy," 
the most common of which are here described. 

Morning Sickness. — Nausea and vomiting, or 
morning sickness, as it is generally called, is the first sign 
of pregnancy after the cessation of the menses. It some- 
times commences immediately after conception, but in the 
majority of cases it is first felt from the fourth to the sixth 
week. The nausea is usually felt on rising in the morn- 
ing, and is sometimes relieved by eating breakfast, but is 
more frequently followed by vomiting. It lasts from ten 
minutes to two hours, and generally ceases after the third 
or fourth month. This form of nausea is due to the sym- 
pathy between the stomach and uterus, and is almost uni- 
versally present in pregnant women. As a rule it is not 
considered of sufficient importance to require any special 
treatment, but in some cases it is so violent and obstinate 
that no food can be retained on the stomach, and the 
patient may become exhausted from actual starvation, or 
premature labor may be brought on by the violent retching. 

16 



242 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

When the vomiting continues after the fourth month, 
it is due to the pressure of the enlarged womb upon the 
stomach, and is as a rule difficult to relieve. 

Treatment. — It is always important that the bowels 
should be kept regular and all acidity of the stomach cor- 
rected. Both these can be accomplished by taking one 
heaping teaspoonful of Husband's magnesia, stirred into 
half a goblet of water, on first awaking in the morning. 
Then a cup of strong coffee and a slice of toast should be 
taken by the patient while in bed, after which she should 
remain in bed for an hour, and sleep, if possible. Such 
management will prevent subsequent nausea or vomiting 
in mild cases. 

When the nausea is more persistent, I find good re- 
sults from the use of five grains of ingluvin, after the cof- 
fee and toast taken in bed, and immediately after each 
meal. This not only corrects the nausea and vomiting, 
but is also a great aid to digestion. It can be put up by 
the druggist in five grain powders, or in capsules, ready for 
use. For those who can swallow the capsules, it is the 
pleasantest way to take the medicine. 

In the more obstinate cases the tincture of gelsemium, 
or yellow jessamine, may be given in doses of five drops 
every half-hour till four or five doses are taken, and no 
food should be taken for an hour after the last dose. In 
procuring this medicine, ask for the tincture of the fresh 
root of gelsemium , and use no other. The i ngluvin should 
be continued after meals, in all cases. Minute quantities 
of food given every hour, is the plan recommended by some 
writers, but my experience leads me to the very opposite 
plan. I have often found that a pint of milk, with two 
tablespoonfuls of lime-water and one tablespoonful of good 



DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY. 243 

whisky, would be retained when small quantities would be 
immediately rejected. The larger quantity separates the 
walls of the stomach, and gives the organ something to 
work on. 

Too much stress cannot be laid on the importance 
of exercise and the proper methods of dress. Perfect 
freedom from pressure around the waist and over the 
stomach and abdomen, and long walks in the open air r 
will not only relieve morning sickness, but will, I believe, 
prevent it entirely. It is a mistake to suppose that the 
pregnant woman is an invalid of necessity, and I firmly 
believe that morning sickness would soon be unknown if 
women were taught how to dress, took proper exercise, 
and did not look for nausea and vomiting to occur as a 
natural sequence of pregnancy. 

HEARTBURN. — Heartburn is a distressing symptom 
that may occur at any stage of pregnancy. It is a heat or 
burning sensation in the stomach, which extends upward 
along the oesophagus,* and occasions eructations into the 
mouth of a scalding, sour and bitter fluid. It arises from 
an acid condition of the stomach, and is known to be 
most severe in persons subjected to mental emotions. It 
is properly only a symptom of indigestion, and is never 
present except when the food is not properly digested. 
The term is a popular one, and, as it has no connection 
with the heart, it is clearly a misnomer, which has been 
retained because of its widespread use. 

Treatment. — Temporary relief can be obtained by 
half-teaspoonful doses of aromatic spirits of ammonia, 
taken in a wineglassful of water, or ten grains of bicarbon- 
ate of potash, in the same quantity of water. If the pot- 

* The canal leading from the mouth to the stomach. 



244 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

ash be taken half an hour before each meal, it will, in a 
great measure, correct the acidity that causes the heart- 
burn Care must also be taken to keep the bowels regu- 
lar, and, with the view of overcoming the dyspepsia, the 
following should be used: Elixir pepsin, bismuth and 
strychnine, six ounces. Dose: A teaspoonful immedi- 
ately after each meal. 

Salivation. — Salivation, or an excessive flow of 
saliva, frequently occurs during the early months of preg- 
nancy. It is free from the fetor of the breath and ten- 
derness of the gums which is present in salivation from 
the use of mercury. It, however, leaves an unpleasant 
taste in the mouth, which often causes vomiting. It is 
also due to acidity of the stomach, and is only a symptom 
of indigestion which is only occasionally met with in preg- 
nancy. 

Treatment. — The same general treatment as above 
recommended for heartburn, should be resorted to; and, 
in addition, the mouth should be washed several times a 
day with an infusion of goldenseal. To make this infu- 
sion, procure an ounce of crushed goldenseal root, and 
pour on it a pint of boiling water. Cover it up well, and 
allow it to simmer on the stove for half an hour; then 
strain, and it is ready for use. In obstinate cases, one 
drachm of powdered borax may be added before using it 
to wash the mouth. 

Spasms or Cramp of the Stomach. — Sudden 
spasms or cramp of the stomach are often due to the pres- 
ence in the stomach of some undigested food, or may come 
on after great mental emotion or exposure to cold. An 
attack may come on suddenly, last for a short time, and 
then pass off and never recur. On the other hand, they 



DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY. 245 

sometimes come on frequently; violent neuralgic pains 
dart from the stomach through to the back; and disten- 
tion of the stomach and flatulence occur. 

Treatment. — For a transient attack, about two table- 
spoonfuls of good brandy or whisky will usually stimu- 
late the stomach sufficiently to carry the undigested food 
out of the stomach. Hot fomentations of hops, a hot- 
water bag, or a mustard plaster, applied over the stomach, 
will be of great service, and sometimes relief can be has- 
tened by moving the bowels by an enema of soap-suds. 

When these attacks occur frequently, they indicate 
confirmed dyspepsia, and should be treated accordingly. 
The diet should be light and nutritious, stimulants should 
be avoided, and the bowels should be kept regular. One 
compound podophyllin pill should be given every night at 
bedtime till the bowels are inclined to move more than 
once a day, and the elixir pepsin, bismuth and strychnine 
should be given in teaspoonful doses, immediately after 
each meal. When the neuralgic pains are severe, they 
may be relieved by five drops of tincture of yellozv jessa- 
mine, repeated every half-hour, till relieved, or till five or 
six doses are taken. 

Constipation. — Constipation is one of the most fre- 
quent and troublesome disorders of pregnancy, and is 
always to be dreaded, because it is liable to occasion piles 
and to produce miscarriage. It is due to sedentary habits, 
derangements of digestion and the compression of the 
rectum by the enlarged womb. It gives rise to dizziness 
and a sense of fullness of the head, headache, colicky 
pains, nausea, discharges of bloody mucus from the 
womb, nervous irritability, sleeplessness, and, during the 
last two months of pregnancy, false pains that resemble 



246 • FACTS FOR LADIES. 

those of labor. If the bowels do not move once in twenty- 
four hours, they should be attended to without delay. 

Treatment. — Here, again, the importance of exercise 
must be insisted on. A good walk once or twice a day, 
with proper attention to diet, will almost invariably insure 
against constipation, and this can be continued till labor- 
pains begin, except in cases of threatened miscarriage. 
Persons of a constipated habit should not eat pastry, pud- 
dings, dried or salted meats or fish, potatoes, white bread, 
rice, corn, spices, pickles or poultry; while cracked 
wheat, oatmeal, graham bread, gluten bread, ripe fruits 
in season, stewed dried fruits, dried figs, onions, tomatoes, 
spinach, celery, raw oysters, and game, together with milk, 
eggs, fresh fish and fresh meats, will tend to keep the 
bowels regular. A habit of going to stool at a fixed time, 
immediately after breakfast being the best time, will often 
prove of great advantage in preventing constipation. If 
exercise and attention to diet fail to give relief, the best 
medicine that can be used is compound syrup of rhubarb 
and potash, or neutralizing cordial ', as it is commonly' 
called. This compound is laxative, antacid and tonic, and 
is therefore specially applicable to the treatment of the 
constipation of pregnancy. It can be given in table- 
spoonful doses every hour till the desired effect is pro- 
duced. When the tongue is coated with a dirty white or 
brownish coating, it indicates a torpid liver, which is 
best relieved by the following: Podophyllin, 3 grains; 
aloin, 2 grains; extract hyoscyamus, 3 grains; extract 
nux vomica, 2 grains. Mix, and make twelve pills. 
Dose: One pill at bedtime. This pill stimulates the 
action of the liver, and throws the bile into the intestine, 
and the bile causes the natural action of the bowels. One 



DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY. 247 

pill should be taken every night till the constipation is 
relieved, and then every second or third night, as required. 
This pill does not gripe or act as a physic, nor is its use 
followed by increased constipation, as is usually the case 
with ordinary cathartics, and it can be taken with perfect 
safety. When the rectum is filled with impacted fecal 
matter, an enema should be used. For this purpose a 
pint of tepid soap-suds, to which is added an ounce 
of castor oil, should be slowly forced into the rectum, 
and held as long as possible. If the feces be not dis- 
charged with the water, the enema should be repeated, 
and, should this fail to give relief, a physician should be 
consulted, as the impacted mass sometimes requires to be 
removed by mechanical means. In no case« should pow- 
erful cathartics be taken, as they are apt to cause mis- 
carriage. 

After the seventh month diet, exercise and enemas 
should be depended on, as medicines may tend to produce 
premature labor. 

DiARRHCEA. — Diarrhoea may result from the pressure 
of the uterus on the intestines, from intestinal irritation 
resulting from impaired digestion or errors in diet, or from 
previous constipation. 

Treatment. — The diet should be light, and should be 
the oppositeof that recommended forconstipation. Boiled 
milk, boiled rice, arrowroot, etc., will be found grateful 
and beneficial. The compound syrup of rhubarb and pot- 
ash should be given in tablespoonful doses till the intes- 
tines are cleared of all undigested food, and then the fol- 
lowing will be found almost a specific: Fluid extract of 
prickly ash berries, y 2 ounce; sirup wild cherry bark, 2^ 
ounces. Mix, and take one teaspoonful every half-hour till 



248 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

relieved. If the case becomes severe, and is attended with 
much pain, a physician should be sent for without delay, 
and opium or morphine should never be taken without the 
advice of a physician, and even then its use should not be 
continued long. In all cases quiet should be observed dur- 
ing the attack. 

Hemorrhoids, or Piles. — Piles are often present 
during pregnancy, and may be caused by the pressure of 
the enlarged womb, by constipation, by torpid liver, or they 
may result from a constitutional weakness of the veins. 

Treatment. — The constipation and torpid liver should 
be relieved as before described, and warm sitz-baths should 
be used twice a day. Sometimes great relief is obtained 
by pouring boiling water on tarred oakum, and sitting over 
the steam for half an hour. As a local application the fol- 
lowing will give temporary relief in even the worst cases: 
Extract of conium, 10 grains; tannic acid, 12 grains; 
extract of belladonna, 6 grains; vaseline, 1 ounce. Mix 
thoroughly, and apply to the piles as far in as possible, two 
or three times a day. 

All treatments are only palliative during pregnancy, 
and after delivery the trouble will frequently disappear. 
If it should still remain, it will be a source of continual 
annoyance, and, if neglected, will become serious. All such 
cases should be operated on for a radical cure. The opera- 
tion is both simple and harmless, and will insure against 
further annoyance and suffering, even during subsequent 
pregnancies. 

Pruritus, or Itching. — An intense itching of the 
genitals, which often extends over the integument of the 
abdomen, occurs in some women during the early stages 
of pregnancy, and is usually very distressing. It may be 



DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY. 249 

caused by acrid discharges from the vagina, or from the 
lack of frequent bathings, but its cause is often un- 
known. 

Treatment. — Frequent bathing of the parts is of the 
first importance in the treatment of pruritus. If an acrid 
discharge from the vagina exist, an injection of the infu- 
sion of goldenseal (one ounce to a pint of boiling water), in 
which one drachm of powdered borax is dissolved, should 
be used night and morning, and the surrounding skin should 
be bathed with a saturated solution of borax. If the 
parts are red and chafed, the following should be used: 
Salicylic acid, 10 grains; vaseline, 1 ounce. Mix, and 
apply as an ointment two or three times a day. 

Vertigo and Fainting. — Vertigo and fainting are 
not infrequently met with in the pregnant state. The 
vertigo, or dizziness, may only last a few moments, it may 
occasion dimness of vision for a short time, or it may 
extend to complete syncope, or fainting. These condi- 
tions may result from debility, extreme nervousness, or a 
determination of blood to the brain, with stoppage of the 
circulation. Both vertigo and fainting usually come on 
while standing, or on rising suddenly, but do not last long, 
and are seldom serious. 

Treatment. — The recumbent position should be taken 
at once, and a current of cool air should be secured by 
opening a door or window, or by the use of a fan. Cold 
water should be dashed in the face, and ammonia applied 
to the nose. If the extremities are cold, friction should 
be applied to them, and along the spine. As soon as the 
patient can swallow, give half a teaspoonful of aromatic 
spirits of ammonia, in a mouthful of water, or a table- 
spoonful of good brandy or whisky. When these condi- 



250 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

tions recur frequently, a physician should be consulted, as 
they are apt to cause premature labor. 

Palpitation of the Heart. — Palpitation of the 
heart, though not a dangerous symptom, is distressing, 
and often occasions much alarm. It may occur during 
any stage of pregnancy, and is caused by dyspepsia, flatu- 
lence, mental excitement, or sympathetic nervous irrita- 
tion, and obstinate constipation. 

Treatment. — During an attack of palpitation, quiet in 
the sitting posture should be observed, and half a tea- 
spoonful of aromatic spirits of ammonia, in half a wine- 
glassful of water, should be taken. Neutralizing cordial 
should be taken in tablespoonful doses, repeated every 
hour, to relieve constipation and correct acidity. When 
the trouble is not associated with constipation or dis- 
ordered digestion, the compound syrup of partridge berry 
will be found valuable in relieving nervous irritation, and 
preventing the recurrence of the trouble. It should be 
given in doses of four tablespoonfuls three or four times a 
day. If the patient is weak and debilitated, half a tea- 
spoonful of dialyzed iron, in a little water, should be taken 
after each meal. When the palpitation is persistent, a 
physician should always be called. 

Swelling of the Feet and Legs.— Bloating or 
swelling of the feet and legs may be due to a sluggish cir- 
culation caused by pressure of the enlarged womb upon 
the veins of the abdomen, and is met with most generally 
in the latter months of pregnancy. In severe cases the 
serum, or watery portion of the blood, oozes through the 
blood-vessels and is deposited in the tissues, thus causing 
dropsy of the extremities. When this bloated condition 
extends to the abdomen, the upper extremities and the 



DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY. 25 1 

face, it indicates a congestion of the kidneys which may 
develop into Bright's disease. 

Treatment. — When proper exercise and plenty of fresh 
air are enjoyed, together with correct digestion and regu- 
larity of the bowels, simple bloating is not likely to occur. 
Rest in the recumbent position with the feet elevated some- 
what, will promptly relieve the swelling. When the bloat- 
ing becomes general, the urine should be examined for 
albumen, and, if found, the physician should at once direct 
his attention to the proper treatment of the kidneys, so as 
to prevent general dropsy, convulsions, death of the foetus, 
and possibly death of the mother. An experienced phy- 
sician, when consulted in time, can prevent these serious 
results by proper treatment. 

Varicose Veins. — Varicose veins consist of a 
marked enlargement of the veins of the legs, which 
become twisted in their course as a result of the enlarge- 
ment. They are caused by pressure of the enlarged womb, 
and are more commonly met with in women who have had 
a number of children. When only the small veins are 
involved, they occasion little or no trouble; but, when the 
condition extends to the large veins, they become very 
painful. 

Treatment. — The treatment in these cases can only 
be palliative. After exercise the patient should assume 
the recumbent position, with the hips and feet elevated 
higher than the shoulders. The legs should then be gently 
rubbed upward to favor the return of the blood to the 
trunk. The bowels should be kept regular, and properly 
fitting elastic stockings should be worn to keep the veins 
from further enlargement, and to prevent them from rup- 
turing. No surgical interference should be attempted till 



252 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

after confinement, and should they still continue trouble- 
some, a surgeon should be consulted. 

Burning of the Feet. — Many women of extremely 
nervous temperaments suffer from an intense burning sen- 
sation of the feet, which is often relieved by bathing them 
several times a day in water as hot as ,can be borne. 
When this fails to give relief, they should be bathed in 
strong peppermint water. 

Muscular Cramps. — Cramps of the legs are caused 
by the pressure of the enlarged womb upon the nerves 
that supply the lower extremities. They occur most fre- 
quently in women who take no exercise. 

Treatment. — Plenty of fresh air and exercise are of 
the first importance to prevent muscular cramps. The 
bowels should be kept regular, and only easily digested 
food should be used. Friction should be applied over 
the part affected, and frequent change of position should 
be secured. After walking, the recumbent position, with 
the hips and legs elevated, will often prevent the recurrence 
of the cramps. Camphor liniment may be freely rubbed 
on the parts with advantage. Persons who suffer from 
frequent recurrences of cramps, will find great relief from 
the following mixture, recommended by Prof. John King, 
M. D. High cranberry bark, I ounce; skullcap leaves 
and skunk cabbage root, each )/ 2 ounce; capsicum and 
cardamom seeds, each 2 drachms. Crush the articles, 
and macerate for two or three days in a quart of Angelica 
wine. The dose is a teaspoonful three or four times a day. 

Headache. — Headache is of frequent occurrence 
during all stages of pregnancy and among all classes of 
women. The pain may be located in the back of the 
head, on the top, through the temples, over one eye, or 



DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY. 253 

through the eyeball, or it may extend generally over the 
whole head. It may be acute, and sometimes of a beat- 
ing, throbbing character, or it may be dull and heavy. It 
is usually due to some derangement of the digestion, but 
mental emotion, exhaustion from fatigue, the excessive 
use of stimulants and coitus may also produce it. A 
minute description of the various kinds of headache would 
take up much space, and yet serve no practical purpose in 
a popular work. It is sufficient to suggest the treatment 
best adapted for the relief of the different kinds of pain in 
the head that receive the name of headache. The differ- 
ent forms of headache are simply symptoms of a variety of 
diseases, and can only be properly understood in connec- 
tion with the derangements that give rise to them. When 
met with during pregnancy, the sufferer can often relieve 
the symptom, though the condition that gives rise to it 
may continue till after parturition. 

Treatment. — No simple and uniform treatment can 
be laid down for the relief of all kinds of headache, but 
experience has demonstrated that antipyrine will relieve 
more headaches than any other remedy; so that, in the 
absence of positive knowledge as to the cause of the head- 
ache, ten grains of antipyrine may be taken in about two 
tablespoonfuls of water, and repeated at intervals of half, 
an hour till three or four doses are taken, if required. As 
a rule, two or three doses will relieve the severest head- 
ache, and one dose will frequently do so. This remedy 
is specially useful in the headaches that occur during the 
early months of pregnancy. After taking the medicine, 
it is best to lie down and sleep, if possible. Should con- 
stipation exist, it should be overcome by the remedies 
heretofore recommended. Plethoric or full-blooded per- 



254 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

sons are most likely to have headaches during the latter 
months of pregnancy, and, when such persons are afflicted, 
the antipyrine will not always give relief. Here the blood- 
vessels of the brain become congested, the face flushed, 
and the pain increased by the recumbent position. A hot 
foot-bath should be taken, mustard should be applied at the 
nape of the neck, and tincture of yellow jessamine should 
be given, in five-drop doses, every half-hour till relieved, or 
till five or six doses are taken. If these headaches are 
recurrent a one-grain ergotin pill should be given three or 
four times a day during the interim. This contracts the 
small vessels of the brain, and forces out the sluggish blood 
lodged therein. 

Those who are much debilitated from any cause will 
find that their headaches are promptly relieved by an 
ounce of good whisky, taken when the stomach is empty. 
If one dose does not relieve it, it is useless to repeat it. 
Whisky is also good in cases of neuralgic headache. 

If the headaches are not relieved by the above treat- 
ment, a physician should be consulted, as other conditions 
may be present to give rise to the headache, that might 
become serious if neglected. 

TOOTHACHE. — Toothache is often an annoying condi- 
tion with pregnant women, and generally occasions intense 
suffering. The woman who desires to be a mother, should 
see to it that all her teeth are in good condition before 
conception. Carious or decayed teeth should be extracted 
unless they can be properly filled. After conception, 
however, it is not safe to attempt extraction of the teeth, 
and it should not be done except in extreme cases. 

Treatment. — When cavities are found in aching teeth, 
they should be cleansed with a piece of absorbent cotton, 




MRS. LANGTRY. 



DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY. 255 

and then filled as follows: Take a small piece of absorbent 
cotton, saturate it in tincture of aconite root, squeeze it 
till the tincture does not run from it, and then pack it into 
the cavity of the tooth, so that it comes in contact with 
the exposed nerve. The aconite benumbs the nerve, and 
thus eases the pain. Now, to effectually exclude the air, 
fill the remainder of the cavity, to a level with the surface 
of the tooth, with white wax. This can be packed in so 
closely that it will remain for days, or even weeks, and, 
when the air is thus excluded, the tooth will not ache. 
Should the aching begin again, this packing should be 
removed, the cavity cleansed and refilled the same as 
before. Should the pain continue, or affect all the teeth 
on one side of the face, the treatment given below for 
face-ache will give relief. 

Face-ache, or Facial Neuralgia. — The fifth pair 
of cranial nerves spread out into numerous branches, and 
supply the teeth, as well as the muscles and skin of the 
face. Neuralgia of this nerve is a common affection in 
pregnancy, and is spoken of as face-ache, facial neuralgia, 
and tic-donlonreux. It may commence in a decayed tooth 
and then spread to all the teeth and nerves of one-side of 
the face. It may also be excited by exposure to cold, 
may develop as one of the results of malaria, or it may 
occur through sympathetic nervous action, from pressure of 
the enlarged womb on the great sympathetic nerve. 

Treatment. — As a rule a five-grain quinine pill should 
be taken three times a day, after eating, and five drops of 
the tincture of yellow jessamine every half-hour till the pain 
is relieved. This can be repeated till the eyelids feel heavy, 
when it should be discontinued. If the bowels are consti- 
pated, they should be relieved, and attention should be 



2-56 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

paid to the diet. Sometimes, if the patient is weak, two 
tablespoonfuls of good whisky in half a goblet of milk will 
promptly relieve the pain. It is a great mistake to use 
morphine or opium in any form. Though it will promptly 
relieve the pain, it does not cure, and it is sure to injure 
both the foetus and the patient. 

Insomnia. — Insomnia, or sleeplessness, is often a 
troublesome complication during the last months of preg- 
nancy, and, when not relieved, it renders a woman less able 
to withstand the pains of labor than if she enjoys natural 
sleep to the last. 

Treatment. — Exercise in the open air, simple and 
nutritious diet, and regularity of the bowels should be 
looked to from the first. Bathing the feet in hot water, 
and eating a light supper before going to bed, will often 
determine the blood from the head and thus insure sleep. 
Massage or magnetism may also be employed with advan- 
tage. All such means should be tried before resorting 
to the use of drugs. 

Opiates should never be used, but bromide of soda 
may be given in doses of twenty grains, in water, after 
each meal and at bedtime, for two or three days. As 
soon as sleep is secured, the medicine should be discon- 
tinued. A pill of one grain of extract of hyoscyamus 
every night at bedtime, is harmless andean often be used 
with advantage. 

Mania, or Insanity. — Women of a nervous temper- 
ament, who are subject to hysterical attacks, and those 
predisposed to insanity, often manifest symptoms of 
mania during pregnancy. These symptoms may come on 
immediately after conception, or at any period during 
pregnancy. They manifest themselves in a variety of 



DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY. 257 

ways, which cannot fail to attract attention. Sometimes 
the patient becomes very melancholy, seeks solitude, 
thinks she is going to die, will not eat, and even neglects 
her personal appearance. She will often take an unreason- 
able dislike to her husband, mother, children or other 
friend, and consider herself badly treated, and declare 
they want to poison her or drive her from the house. 
After these symptoms are noticed, a physician should be 
consulted at once, as she may become violent at any 
moment, and do herself or others bodily harm. She 
will often be entirely " out of her mind," and after con- 
finement will have no recollection of what has happened. 

It is useless to lay down any line of treatment for 
this condition, as the experienced physician must deter- 
mine that in each individual case. The mania that develops 
just before or immediately after confinement, and known 
as puerperal mania, will be described in full in a subse- 
quent chapter. 

Disorders of the Bladder. — Sometimes there is 
an irritation of the neck of the bladder from pressure, 
which causes a frequent desire to urinate that may become 
annoying. This occurs during the early stages of preg- 
nancy, and again during the last two weeks. 

Sometimes the kidneys and the ureters * are affected 
by a spasmodic action, due to nervous sympathy, which 
occasions severe pain along the groin, and a suppression of 
the urine, though the desire to pass it is increased. 

Again, the quantity of urine passed, gradually 
decreases, and it is filled with a whitish substance that set- 
tles to the bottom of the vessel upon standing. This indi- 
cates the presence of albumen, which is almost always 

* Canals leading from the kidneys to the bladder. 



258 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

present in the urine of pregnant women ; but, when it 
becomes excessive, it becomes a serious matter. This 
condition is always present before mania develops, and, if 
not the cause, it aggravates puerperal mania and puerperal 
convulsions, and may result in Bright's disease, and cause 
death by ursemic poisoning and the resulting coma. 

Treatment. — The frequent desire to urinate is relieved 
by the recumbent position on the back, and the use of the 
sitz-bath. The flow of urine can be increased by making 
a strong tea of marsh-mallow root, and drinking ateacup- 
ful with 10 grains of acetate of potash added every two or 
three hours. The irritation may be relieved by the follow- 
ing: Fluid extract of bearberry, 2 ounces; fluid extract of 
black cohosh, I ounce; glycerine, enough to make 6 
ounces. Mix, and take a teaspoonful after each meal 
and at bedtime. 

For the pain in the groin and the suppression of the 
urine, add five drops of tincture of yellow jessamine to each 
teacupful of the marsh mallow tea, recommended above, 
and repeat the dose every half-hour till five or six doses 
are taken. 

When the quantity of the urine has gradually increased 
and a white sediment is noticed, it should be sent to the 
physician to be examined for albumen. The quantity of 
albumen present, and its appearance under the microscope, 
will determine the treatment to be followed, and the direc- 
tions of the physician should be implicitly obeyed. 



CHAPTER VI. 

MOTHERHOOD — Continued. 

Painless Childbirth — Natural Labor and Its Management — Difficult 
Labor — Preternatural Labor — Complicated Labor — Attentions 
After Labor — Diseases Following Labor — Accidents of Labor 
— Miscarriage and Premature Labor — Pre-natal Impressions and 
Mother's Marks. 

WHILE many of the disorders described in the pre- 
ceding chapter are frequently met with during the period 
of pregnancy, yet no woman suffers from all; and, in 
many cases, they are escaped altogether. As before 
stated, some women enjoy the most perfect health during 
the whole period of pregnancy, but this is the exception, 
and not the rule, under our present civilization. So com- 
mon have become the disorders of pregnancy, and so 
severe the pains of childbirth, as a rule, that young wives 
have come to look upon the possibilities of motherhood 
with dread. Is this natural? and, if not, how is it so uni- 
versal? Let us inquire and find an answer if possible. 

PAINLESS CHILDBIRTH. 

Is pain during childbirth necessary? I answer that 
child-bearing is as much a natural function as any func- 
tion of the body, and, when healthy, it should be free 
from pain and sickness. Physiologists tell us that healthy 
function is unattended with pain, and that all pain is the 
result of some violation of natural law; consequently, if 
the perpetuation of our race is the natural function of 
women, childbirth should be free from pain and danger. 



260 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

It is a well-known fact that the lower animals suffer 
very little in bringing forth their young, and that among 
savages comparatively no pain is experienced. It is also 
the verdict of those who have had opportunities for observa- 
tion, that in the days of slavery in America the slave-women 
had but little pain, required little or no attention during 
confinement, and were only detained from their work a 
few hours thereby. The same is true of the peasant 
women of Germany, France and Italy. 

Dr. John H. Dye, in his valuable little book, " Pain- 
less Childbirth," writes as follows: 

"Among the poorer classes, i. e. y those who are 
robust, but compelled to depend upon their daily toil for 
the necessaries of life — the plainest food — to whom 
luxury is a stranger, we often find the labor easy and 
speedy, and often with no attendant, except perhaps the 
husband or a little girl — not even a midwife — the woman 
gives birth, and in a few hours resumes her usual duties. 

" It is generally known among the American Indians 
that the avocations of the squaw are seldom, if ever, inter- 
rupted by an inconvenience from pregnancy or labor. 
My brother-in-law, Dr. S. T. Baker, who has spent many 
years on the western frontier among the Indians, where he 
had excellent opportunities to observe and acquaint him- 
self with their habits, informs me that a pregnant squaw 
does not occasion any concern to her companions. She 
performs the usual drudgery of her life up to the very hour 
of her labor, making no preparation for the coming ' pa- 
poose.' When she realizes that the hour for delivery is at 
hand, she enters her cabin, or betakes herself to some 
stream or spring, gives birth, washes the young ' Injun ' 
in the cold water, straps it upon her back, and before she 



PAINLESS CHILDBIRTH, 26 1 

has been scarcely missed at all, has returned a full-fledged 
mother, and resumes her labors unconscious of having un- 
dergone any wonderful ordeal. If the band to which she 
belongs is on a march when she feels that labor is upon 
her, she leaves the trail, and, beside some brook or spring, 
spreads her blanket, is delivered, washes the infant, straps 
it upon her back, mounts her pony, gallops on after the 
rest, whom she overtakes after one or two hours' absence. 
If they experience any of the annoyances of pregnancy 
that afflict the daughters of artificial life, they pay so little 
attention to them as to attract no notice whatever." 

Prof. Huxley says, " We are, indeed, fully prepared to 
believe that the bearing of children may, and ought to be- 
come, as free from danger and disability to the civilized 
woman as to the savage." 

Dr. Devvees concludes, " that pain in childbirth is a 
morbid symptom; that it is a perversion of nature, caused 
by modes of living not consistent with the most healthy 
condition of the system; and that such a regimen as should 
insure such a completely healthy condition might be 
counted on with certainty to do away with such pain." 

Prof. Pancoast, in his " Ladies' Medical Guide," says: 
" It is a common belief that gestation is a period of 
disease and suffering, and that parturition is inevitably a 
painful and dangerous process. Now, the great truth to 
be learned is, the reverse of such impressions. It is 
just as natural for a woman to bring forth children as for a 
shrub to produce flowers and fruit. In a state of health 
no natural process is painful. Pain, in all cases, is a sign 
of disease — it has no other significance. In its healthy 
condition, the uterus receives the germ of a new being, 
provides it with proper nourishment, expands to make 



262 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

room for its development, and, at the time appointed by- 
nature, dilates its opening and contracts — a series of 
involuntary and painless muscular efforts — so as to throw 
the infant into the new existence which its growth 
demands. It performs its own proper functions, just as 
the lungs, the heart, or the stomach perform theirs." 

I could quote many other authorities to sustain the 
declaration that childbirth should be painless, but those 
already quoted are sufficient to show the character of the 
testimony in its favor. But the question is often asked, 
" Why, then, are pain and suffering so universally pres- 
ent? " I answer, because of a false system of education; 
because of the errors so common in developing the child 
during the formative years of its life, from infancy to 
puberty; because of the lack of outdoor exercise, which 
can alone secure proper physical development; because of 
improper modes of dress from girlhood, by which the 
ribs become compressed and deformed, and the various 
organs crowded out of their normal positions; because of 
the excitement and frivolities of fashionable life to which 
girls are subjected before they are properly developed, and 
which prostrate their nervous energies and lay the foun- 
dations for a series of nervous disorders; and because of 
the outrages and violence young married women inflict upon 
themselves, in their desire to escape " for a time " the 
duties of motherhood. 

For generations women have deformed themselves by 
tight lacing and wearing heavy skirts suspended from the 
waists, till now, by heredity and a gradual process of evo 
lution, most women have deformed ribs. This naturally 
contracts the space requisite for the full development of 
the pregnant womb, and pressure must result. Again, the 



PAINLESS CHILDBIRTH. 263 

dress, even when tight lacing is not resorted to, is such, 
as a rule, as to interfere with the elevation of the ribs, 
which is necessary for full respiration, as well as to enlarge 
the abdominal cavity for the accommodation of the 
enlarged pregnant womb. This adds to the undue pres- 
sure on the womb, besides preventing a full supply of 
oxygen, so essential to the development of the fcetus, and 
the healthy growth of the uterus. Again, many pregnant 
women try to hide their condition by tight lacing, as long 
as possible, and thus add to their suffering, not only dur- 
ing pregnancy, but at childbirth. 

To insure painless childbirth, mothers must begin 
with the babyhood of their daughters, in order that 
women may have perfectly healthy organs, capable of 
performing their normal functions, which must always be 
painless. The reader is referred to the chapters on 
(i Babyhood " and " Childhood " for information regarding 
normal physical development. 

The women of to-day, however, can do much to 
prevent the disorders of pregnancy and to diminish the 
pangs of childbirth. They must begin by abandoning 
tight lacing and by suspending the skirts from the shoul- 
ders, so as to relieve all pressure from the abdomen and 
all constriction from the waist. This is not incompatible 
with comfortable and stylish dressing, and it is a pleasing 
sign of the times that many women have already begun 
to move in this reform. 

Young women should live more in the open air, 
should take regular and systematic exercise, which should 
include walking and running. The lungs should be fully 
expanded so frequently that the largest possible lung 
capacity may be secured. Late hours should be avoided, 



ft 
264 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

and the sleeping apartment should always be well filled 
with fresh air. The old idea that night air is unhealthy 
and must therefore be excluded, is a fallacy that is now 
completely exploded. Stimulants of all kinds should 
always be avoided, except as a medicine, as they are 
never needed, and always do harm during the period of 
physical development. 

After marriage, sexual excess should be carefully 
guarded against, and all means of preventing conception, 
excepting the physiological one previously described, must 
be avoided. A single attempt at abortion, even when 
unsuccessful, entails lifelong suffering on the woman; 
and those who wish to be healthy, and free from suffering 
during subsequent pregnancies, must shun this vice as 
they would a viper. 

The unsought-for and unwelcome child entails more 
suffering on the mother than the one that is desired and 
is the result of design. This is true because conception 
in one case results from a violation of the mother instinct 
in woman, while in the other it is the result of a natural 
expression of healthy function. 

The pregnant woman should be free from anxiety and 
pressing cares; should continue her regular exercise in the 
open air; should attend to her usual duties in life, and not 
sit with folded hands, and feel that she must of necessity 
be an invalid. Her dress must be loose and comfortable, 
her diet should be simple and nutritious, her bowels should 
be kept regular, and she should take a tepid sponge-bath 
every morning, and a warm bath once or twice a week 
before retiring. 

Coitus during pregnancy should be entirely avoided, 
or very rarely indulged in, and then only when strongly 



PAINLESS CHILDBIRTH. 265 

desired by the woman. This is much more important than 
is usually admitted, and man, with his superior wisdom, 
needs to learn a lesson from the lower animals. To insure the 
observance of this rule the husband and wife should occupy 
separate rooms, or at least separate beds. Some will say 
that this deprives man of his marital rights. This is true, 
if marriage is intended simply to gratify passion; but, if 
its aim be the perpetuation of the species, is not that end 
accomplished at conception? and those who would avoid 
the pains of childbirth will find that this is one of the most 
important rules to follow. 

The diet of the pregnant woman has an important 
bearing on the development of the bony structure of the 
foetus, as the calcareous or earthy matters necessary for 
hardening the bones must be supplied through the food 
of the mother. The framework of the foetus is at first 
made up of soft material called cartilage, or gristle, but 
prior to birth some of the bones have developed into true 
bony tissue, which is much harder and more unyielding 
than cartilage. Now, it is claimed that by abstaining from 
such articles of food as contain large quantities of earthy 
matter, the ossification or solidifying of the bones may 
be retarded, so that at birth the structure of the 
foetus will yield readily, thus rendering the childbirth 
easier than when the bones have hardened before birth. 
Upon this theory a diet can be selected that contains little 
earthy matter, and thus immunity from pain is in a meas- 
ure secured. 

To insure a diminution of pain in childbirth, the 
pregnant woman should live largely on a fruit diet, as 
fruits contain a very small percentage of earthy salts. 
Wheat, beans, rye, oats, barley, potatoes, beef and mut- 



266 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

ton contain the largest percentage of these salts, and 
hence all these should be avoided as articles of diet. The 
flesh of young animals, as veal and lamb, fowls, fish, eggs, 
milk and fresh vegetables generally, contain but little of 
these salts, and can be added to the fruit diet. Water 
contains considerable limy material, and should not be 
used without boiling. 

If this course of diet is generally followed from the 
third month of pregnancy, there can be no question but 
that the bones of the child will be undeveloped and soft at 
birth, and that fact will render labor less painful than it 
would otherwise be, all else being equal. This fact, how- 
ever, is no reason why women should not aim to so per- 
fect their own organizations as to make it unnecessary to 
deprive their offspring of a single element that is essential 
for the most perfect development. 

Women who suffer much from the disorders of preg- 
nancy are almost certain to have a difficult labor. All 
such will find great benefit, and many complete relief, 
from the continued use of the compound sirup of part- 
ridge berry, or mother's cordial, taken in doses of from 
four to six tablespoonfuls, twice a day. It is composed of 
partridge berry vine, false unicorn root, high cranberry 
bark, and blue cohosh root. The process of preparing it 
is somewhat troublesome, and therefore it should be 
made by your druggist. Be sure and ask for mother's 
cordial, prepared after the formula in " King's American 
Dispensatory." 

NATURAL LABOR AND ITS MANAGEMENT. 

When the foetus has attained such a degree of develop- 
ment as to render it capable of independent life, which it 



NATURAL LABOR AND ITS MANAGEMENT. 267 

does in about two hundred and eighty days, the muscles 
of the body of the womb take on contractile action and 
force its contents against the circular muscles that form 
the mouth of the womb. The mouth of the womb thus 
becomes dilated, while the continued muscular contraction 
expels the fcetus and its secundines.* This action is 
part of a normal function, and is called labor, or parturi- 
tion. The muscular contractions are attended with pain, 
and have, consequently, been called labor pains. The 
average duration of a natural labor is from four to six 
hours. In many cases it does not last more than fifteen 
or twenty minutes, and, if women observed the laws of 
nature, this would be the rule; but it often occupies many 
hours. 

Among the premonitory signs of labor, the sinking 
of the abdomen is the first noticed. This frequently 
occurs two weeks before the labor, but it may not do so 
till three or four days before. Sometimes a squeezing sen- 
sation is felt in the abdomen, which recurs at intervals, 
and which is, doubtless, painless uterine contractions. 
They may be felt two or three weeks previous to labor, 
and they certainly produce changes in the mouth and neck 
of the womb before the commencement of actual labor. 

The parts become somewhat softened, and about 
twenty-four hours previous to labor a copious mucous dis- 
charge takes place, which is commonly called " the show." 
This discharge, however, is not always present. 

Labor proper commences with intermittent pains, 
weak at first, but which become gradually stronger and 
more frequent. These are called true pains, in distinction 
from the irregular pains, which come and go at irregular 

* The membranes and afterbirth. 



268 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

intervals for several days, without having any effect on 
the womb, and which are called false pains. 

Labor has been variously classified by authors, but 
Prof. John King and other writers divide it into four 
classes, as follows: 

i. " Natural labor, in which the fcetal head presents, 
and where delivery is effected within twenty-four hours, 
without the aid of any artificial power. 

~. " Difficult labor, also called lingering, tedious and 
protracted, in which the fcetal head presents, but where 
labor continues beyond twenty-four hours, and may 
require some medicinal, manual or instrumental assistance. 

3 " Preternatural labor, in which some other part 
than the head presents, where there is a prolapsus of the 
umbilical cord, or a plurality of children. 

4 " Complicated labor, in which some accident 
occurs, not connected with the presentation of the foetus. " 

For the sake of convenience, labor is divided into 
three stages. The first stage begins with the first symp- 
toms of labor, and ends with the complete dilation of the 
mouth of the womb; the second stage extends from the 
completion of the first to the birth of the child, and the 
third includes the expulsion of the placenta, or afterbirth. 

In the first stage the pains are felt low down in the 
back and abdomen, and in the groins and thighs. No 
bearing-down is felt with these pains, and the patient 
should not make any effort in that direction. Nausea and 
vomiting sometimes occur, but should not occasion any 
alarm. As these pains continue the " bag of waters : ' 
crowds into the mouth of the womb and helps the dilation. 
As a rule, it does not break till near the end of the first 
Stage, though it may do so at any time. No officious 



NATURAL LABOR AND ITS MANAGEMENT. 269 

attempt should be made to rupture this membrane till the 
full dilatation of the womb, for, when the waters escape 
early, the labor is more difficult, and constitutes what is 
called a dry labor. 

Among savages and women who have a normal physi- 
cal development this stage of labor is completed without 
pain, as they only experience the grasping feeling of the 
painless uterine contractions, a condition analogous to the 
contractions which take place under the influence of chlo- 
roform. 

In the second stage the pains become stronger, of 
longer duration, and with shorter intervals between them. 
The patient now feels like making an effort to help, and 
she distinctly feels the head moving downward. As the 
child's head passes through the bony pelvis and presses on 
the soft parts, these yield, and finally, with one long con- 
traction, the head is born. In a few moments another pain 
expels the body. This stage lasts from five minutes to 
half an hour, as a rule. 

The womb is prepared for the third stage by a short 
period of rest, when one or two pains come and the mem- 
branes and placenta are expelled. This occupies a few 
moments, as a rule. 

In natural labor these stages follow each other in 
rapid succession, without difficulty or complications. 
Labor being a normal function, nothing is to be done in 
the majority of cases but to await the advent of the child. 

When the first symptoms of labor arc manifest, the 
nurse should be sent for, if she is not already at hand. 
The bed should be prepared by covering it with a rubber 
sheet, over which a folded sheet may be placed; and 
another sheet should be folded and fastened loosely around 



270 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

the patient's waist, so that it can be removed when the 
labor is over. 

As soon as the pains become regular the physician 
or midwife should be sent for, and, on arriving, he or she 
should make an examination to ascertain the condition 
of the mouth of the womb and the position of the child. 

If the bowels are constipated, they should be relieved 
by an enema of warm water and soap-suds, and the 
bladder should be emptied as often as desired. Should 
the urine not pass, it should be drawn off with a catheter 
before the second stage begins. 

During the first stage and the beginning of the sec- 
ond, the woman need not remain in bed, but can assume 
any position in which she can feel the most comfortable; 
but, as soon as the head begins to press on the soft parts, 
it is best to remain in bed. At the time of delivery she 
may lie on her back or left side, with the legs drawn up, 
though the back position is, as a rule, the most com- 
fortable. 

No effort at bearing-down should be made till that 
inclination is distinctly felt of itself, as if thefcetus was being 
crowded down into the pelvis. Then voluntary efforts 
will help materially, but no such effort should be made 
except during the continuance of a pain. At this time 
the feet should rest against the foot-board of the bed, or 
against some solid body placed at the feet, and a sheet or 
towel maybe fastened to the foot of the bed, on which the 
patient can pull while she presses with her feet, as each 
pain comes on. The nurse and midwife may allow her to 
pull on their hands, instead, if they prefer. 

The lying-in chamber should be comfortably warm, 
but not hot, and provision should be made for proper 



NATURAL LABOR AND ITS MANAGEMENT. 2J I 

ventilation. The expectant mother should be made to 
understand that the coming ordeal is the completion of a 
natural function, and there is no occasion to look upon it 
with dread. The room should be free from company, and 
the attendant should endeavor to quiet all fear, instead of 
recounting his experience with " terrible " cases. 

No instructions are necessary for a skilled physician 
or midwife as to what should be done at the time of deliv- 
ery; but any woman is liable to find herself alone with a 
friend at such a time, and the child may be born before 
the attendant arrives. In such a case there is no cause for 
alarm, for the speedy delivery is a sure sign of a natural 
and simple labor. It is only necessary to " keep cool," and 
render such assistance as is necessary. 

The mother can always tell when the head is born, 
even if the child does not cry, which it usually does as 
soon as the head reaches the world. Whoever is present 
at such a time should immediately pass the finger around 
the neck to see that the cord is not wound around it. If 
this is the case, it should be carefully slipped over the head 
before the next pain comes. The neck being free from 
the cord, if the child has not cried a finger should be 
inserted into the mouth to remove any accumulation. 
Then wait a few moments for the expulsion of the body. 
If this does not occur in a minute or two, the index finger 
should be inserted at the back part of the vagina, so as to 
get it under the shoulder, in the axilla, and gentle outward 
traction should be made while a downward pressure over 
the abdomen should be made with the other hand. This 
will always complete the delivery, and the mother will 
experience a period of rest, which may range from five 
minutes to half an hour. 



272 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

» 

Cutting the Cord. — Attention must now be 
directed to the infant. If it cries, it is sure to be all right, 
and the cord can be cut at once. If the child does not 
show signs of life, it should be turned from side to side, 
and slight pressure made on the ribs, sprinkled with hot 
or cold water, held by the feet with its head down for a 
moment. When breathing begins the cord should be felt, 
and, when its pulsation stops, it should be cut with a pair 
of scissors previously provided for the purpose. 

It has been the custom from time immemorial to tie 
the cord about two and one-half or three inches from the 
abdomen before cutting it, with the view of preventing 
the child from bleeding to death. Some apply the second 
ligature and cut between the two. It is now demonstrated 
that tying the cord is entirely unnecessary, as the direc- 
tion of the current of blood changes as soon as the infant 
begins to breathe, and then no blood can escape from the 
vessels of the cord, except what may remain in them when 
the change in circulation takes place, and it is better that 
it should escape. It is true that few physicians are yet 
willing to leave the cord untied, and, as the tying does no 
special harm, it may be done to allay any fears of the 
mother. When the cord is cut, the child can be wrapped 
up in a warm blanket, and left in some comfortable place 
till the mother is cared for. 

The placenta, or afterbirth, is usually expelled with 
one pain, in from five to thirty minutes. It may be has- 
tened by placing one hand over the abdomen, and knead- 
ing the womb with gentle pressure, at the same time 
making slight traction on the cord. The cord should 
never be forcibly pulled, as such traction is liable to invert 
the womb. 



NATURAL LABOR AND ITS MANAGEMENT. 273 

Should there be much flooding, the hand should be 
held on the abdomen, pressing over the womb till con- 
tractions take place. The head should be lowered, the 
abdomen sprinkled with cold water, and a cold compress 
applied against the vulva. 

The soiled sheets should be removed at once, the 
patient bathed with a tepid sponge bath, her clothing 
changed if soiled, and everything done to make her clean 
and comfortable without delay. An extra blanket or 
quilt should be spread over her to prevent a chill, and she 
should then be left to rest. If she feels chilly, a little 
good whisky or brandy may be given. 

The Bandage. — It is still the rule with many to 
apply a bandage tightly around the abdomen, under the 
supposition that it aids in contracting the womb, and 
insures a " good form " after childbirth. This is a great 
mistake, for such pressure only crowds the womb down 
into the pelvis, and, when it should have regained its 
natural condition, it is found to be enlarged and out of 
place. It also prevents the natural action of the abdomi- 
nal muscles, and injures rather than benefits the shape. 
No progressive physician applies the post-part l em bandage 
at the present day, and the woman who still adheres to it 
should lay aside her old ideas and be guided by the 
enlightened experience of the present day. I have fre- 
quently been obliged to fight against this prejudice in 
favor of the bandage, but, having carried the point by 
discarding it, women who have borne many children have 
invariably admitted that they have felt better than they 
ever had done before' after childbirth. 



274 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

DIFFICULT LABOR. 

Difficult or protracted labor embraces all cases when 
the head presents, but which continue longer than twenty- 
four hours, and may require mechanical or medical aid. 
In such cases the physician is sure to be on hand, and he 
can determine the exact state of affairs. A difficult labor 
is not by any means a serious matter, and the patient has 
no occasion to be alarmed. The first labor, as a rule, is 
the most likely to be difficult. You should have suffi- 
cient confidence in the skill and experience of your physi- 
cian to do whatever he deems best, after twenty-four 
hours. He may decide to give ergot to increase the power 
of the womb, or, if he finds the patient temporarily 
exhausted, he will insure her a few hours' rest by adminis- 
tering such sleeping potion as he thinks best suited to her 
condition. Should he decide to use the forceps, it should 
occasion no alarm. When properly used, they do not 
injure the child, and give immediate relief to the mother. 
With a good nurse and one lady friend present, no other 
physician need be called in to assist in an instrumental 
delivery. When consultation is asked for in such cases, it 
is only for the assistance, and the patient is unnecessarily 
alarmed. Of course, should delivery with the forceps be 
thought impossible, consultation should be had before any 
other method is decided on. 

Craniotomy. — If the child cannot be born, the rule is 
to sacrifice the child for the safety of the mother. This is 
done by cutting and crushing the head of the child, and 
removing it in pieces. Fortunately this is rarely necessary, 
and, by observing the rules laid down under the heading 
of" Painless Childbirth," it would never have to be per- 
formed. 



COMPLICATED LABOR. 2/5 

Cesarean Section. — When it is thought that the 
mother cannot live, and it is desirable to save the child, 
an incision is made through the abdomen, the womb is cut 
open, and the child is removed in that way. Julius Caesar 
was born in this way, and hence the name of the opera- 
tion. It is rarely necessary, and should never be thought 
of as long as there is a possible chance for the life of the 
mother. 

PRETERNATURAL LABOR. 

When some other part than the head presents at the 
mouth of the womb, as the shoulder, breech, feet or knees, 
it is called a preternatural labor. The birth of monstrosi- 
ties, a plurality of children, and the falling of the cord 
before any other part of the child, are also classed under 
this head. Feet, knee and breech presentations may be 
followed by a speedy labor, the only care being required 
while the head is being born. When the head, shoulder 
or arm presents, the physician is obliged to introduce his 
hand and turn. This consists in grasping one or both 
feet, and bringing them down so that the feet are born 
first. When there are more than one child, the labor may 
be uncomplicated except in the fact of plurality, and mon- 
strosities may be born the same as a naturally developed 
child. Here again the physician must be the judge as to 
the course to pursue, and his advice must be followed, and 
his decisions acquiesced in. Even in these cases, when 
in skillful hands, there is no cause ol alarm, as the large 
majority terminate favorably to both mother and child. 

COMPLICATED LABOR. 

Complicated labor embraces all conditions that are 
likely to interfere with the natural progress of the labor. 



276 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Among the most common complications are placenta 
prsevia, hemorrhage, or flooding, retained placenta, rup- 
ture of the womb, inversion of the womb, and puerperal 
convulsions. 

Placenta Previa. — When a pregnant woman has 
a flow of blood every three or four weeks, after the fourth 
month, it indicates that the afterbirth is attached near the 
mouth of the womb, and it becomes partially detached 
from time to time as the womb enlarges. When such 
a condition is present, perfect quiet should be observed 
at each period of flooding, and the physician should be 
sent for on the appearance of the first sign of labor, as 
it is necessary to hasten the delivery to prevent serious 
trouble. 

Hemorrhage, or Flooding. — Serious flooding may 
come on during the progress of labor or immediately after 
delivery, and it always requires prompt attention. If 
during labor, it may require prompt action to hasten 
delivery; and, should it occur after delivery, the head 
must be lowered, the foot of the bed raised at least a 
foot, cold water should be applied to the vulva and 
abdomen, and the hand should be applied over the 
abdomen so as to grasp the womb and thus promote con- 
traction. Ergot should be given in full doses, and in 
some cases a piece of ice maybe crowded into the vagina. 
These are the measures to be adopted in case of an emerg- 
ency, but, if no physician is present, one should be sent 
for as soon as possible. Should fainting occur before the 
physician arrives, ammonia should be held to the nose, 
and, as soon as the patient can swallow, an ounce of good 
whisky or brandy, diluted with the same quantity of water, 
should be given. 



COMPLICATED LABOR. 277 

Retained Placenta. — When the placenta, or after- 
birth, is not expelled within an hour, the physician should 
take means for its removal, and the sooner this is done 
the better. Should this be neglected, the friends should 
insist on having counsel, as serious consequences are sure 
to follow any neglect. 

Rupture of the Womb and Inversion. — These 
are very rare conditions, and can only be recognized by 
the physician. Should rupture occur, delivery should be 
hastened ; but such cases are likely to prove fatal. An 
inverted womb should be restored to its normal position 
as soon as possible. 

Puerperal Convulsions. — Puerperal convulsions 
is the term applied to a malady that attacks women just 
before, during, or immediately after labor. Headache, 
dizziness, constriction of the forehead, loss of sight, ring- 
ing in the ears, flushed countenance and confusion of 
thoughts are the common premonitory symptoms. The 
convulsions are violent and irregular, and may last from a 
few seconds to many minutes An intermission then occurs, 
only to be followed by renewed convulsions, each one being 
more severe than its predecessor. 

An examination of the urine shows the presence of a 
large amount of albumen, and it is generally believed that 
the primary cause of the convulsions is uremic poisoning. 

Treatment. — Such cases as this should be under the 
constant care of the physician, but should the convulsions 
occur before his arrival, Norzvood's tincture of veratrum 
viride (American hellebore) should be given — thirty drops 
at a dose, in water — and repeated every half an hour till 
the convulsions are controlled. Under ordinary circum- 
stances this would be an enormous dose, but only good 



278 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

results will follow its use in this condition. It is about 
the only remedy that promises any certainty of relief. 
Should the convulsions once be controlled, attention should 
at once be directed to the kidneys. 

If the convulsions occur at the sixth month of preg- 
nancy, the foetus is sure to die, and miscarriage is sure to 
follow. When it occurs after the seventh month, it is 
always best to bring on premature labor. 

ATTENTIONS AFTER LABOR. 

As soon as the labor is over, and the patient made 
comfortable in bed, care should be taken to ventilate the 
room. The patient should then be directed to keep quiet 
so as to secure some sleep, if possible, and for this pur- 
pose it is best to darken the room. Of course, no one 
should remain in the room but the nurse. Even the babe 
should be removed so that the mother may not be dis- 
turbed by its cries. 

On awaking, the patient may feel thirsty or even 
hungry. A little toast and tea, gruel, or some good 
animal broth may be given, and this light diet should be 
continued for two or three days. After that the most 
nutritious diet should be supplied. Soups, broths, roast 
beef, steaks, chops, milk and eggs should be used in suc- 
cession. It is a great mistake to starve a woman for 
nine days after confinement, as was the old custom. She 
needs good food now, if ever, and under no pretext 
should it be withheld. 

Sometimes the urine cannot be voided, and this soon 
causes great distress. Hot applications to the lower part 
of the abdomen, over the bladder, will sometimes cause the 
bladder to act; but, if it does not doso,it should be drawn 
off with a catheter. If once necessary, this may have to 



ATTENTIONS AFTER LABOR. 279 

be continued for a week or ten days, and, as it must be 
drawn at least three times in twenty-four hours, the nurse 
should be able to do it. 

The bowels are generally constipated after labor, and, 
if they do not move for three or four days, it is all the 
better. Should they occasion any distress, they should be 
moved by enema; but, instead of getting up, the patient 
should use a bed-pan. 

About twelve hours after confinement the vagina 
should be thoroughly cleansed by an injection of warm 
carbolized water. To a quart of warm water two tea- 
spoonfuls of pure 95 per cent, carbolic acid should be 
added, and, after being thoroughly mixed, it should be 
poured into a fountain syringe, and used to wash out the 
vagina. Here again the bed-pan should be used to pre- 
vent soiling the bed. This injection should be used two 
or three times a day till the bleeding and subsequent dis- 
charge (the lochia) have ceased. This cleansing and anti- 
septic wash prevents the development of childbed fever, 
and the woman is sure to progress rapidly under this man- 
agement. Even the so-called milk fever, which was sup- 
posed to be a natural sequence of the secretion of milk, is 
prevented by these injections, because it is now recognized 
that absorption of the decomposing blood was the cause 
of the fever known as milk fever. 

A daily sponge bath, with the frequent changing of 
the napkins, should also be insisted on, because a free 
action of the skin admits of the throwing off impurities 
from the system, while the cleansing makes it impossible 
for other impurities to be absorbed into the blood. 

Care of the Breasts, and Lactation. — For 
two months before confinement some attention should be 



280 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

paid to the nipples. If they are small, they should be 
drawn out with a small breast-pump, and an effort should 
be made to harden them. The following will be found 
a valuable application for that purpose: Tannin, 10 grains; 
good brandy, i ounce. Mix, and apply to the nipple 
night and morning. 

After the mother's first sleep the child should be 
applied to the breast. Though there is no milk at first, 
there is a watery secretion present, which satisfies the 
child, and is beneficial to it. The child should be applied 
to the breasts alternately. 

About the third day the veins of the breast begin to 
enlarge, as do also the sections of the glands themselves. 
The milk ducts speedily fill up, and the breast frequently 
becomes very large and intensely painful. As soon as the 
slightest enlargement is observed, the breast should be 
gently rubbed from the outer margin toward the nipple, 
and, if any lumps or bunches are discovered, they should 
be rubbed till they become perfectly soft. As soon as 
the milk is secreted, it should be made to flow by slightly 
squeezing the nipples a few times, and then the child 
should be applied. 

It was formerly a common thing for mothers to lack 
sufficient milk to nourish the child, but this was largely 
due to the starvation diet on which they were kept. To 
insure a good supply of milk, a healthy woman has only 
to be well nourished. If at first the supply is scanty, the 
breasts should be kept warm with flannel, gentle rubbing 
should be kept up, and the diet must be as before recom- 
mended. It is not a wise thing to attempt to force the 
milk by drinking ale and porter. 

Under their present physical disabilities, women 



DISEASES FOLLOWING LABOR. 28 1 

should remain in bed at least ten days or two weeks ; but, 
if women were physically perfect, this would be as unne- 
cessary as it is among savage tribes. 

DISEASES FOLLOWING LABOR. 

The diseases that follow childbirth are much less fre- 
qently met with now than formerly. This favorable result 
is due to the antiseptic methods that have been intro- 
duced into modern midwifery. In fact, when any of the 
diseases incident to childbirth follow a natural labor, it 
may be said that they are due principally to the lack of 
proper care. Among the conditions liable to be met with 
are peritonitis, puerperal fever, phlegmasia dolens, puer- 
peral mania, sore nipples, inflamed and gathered breasts 
and sore mouth. 

Peritonitis. — The peritoneum is a thin serous mem- 
brane that lines the inner walls of the abdomen, holds the 
viscera in their proper places, covers the bowels in front 
like an apron, forms the ligaments of the womb, and invests 
that organ with a thin external covering. This membrane 
becomes inflamed by extension of inflammation from the 
womb and ovaries; and the inflammation may be confined 
to the parts immediately connected with the womb, or it 
may extend so as to involve the entire membrane. 

It is likely to occur two or three days after confine- 
ment, and is ushered in by a sudden and severe chill, fol- 
lowed by fever, with severe pain and tenderness over the 
abdomen. The pain is of a boring, cutting character, and 
is aggravated by the slightest touch. The patient draws 
up the legs, lies on the back, and breathes short and 
quick. The bowels are constipated, the abdomen is 
greatly distended with gas, after the third day, the tongue 



282 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

is coated, and vomiting usually ensues. Sometimes a 
diarrhcea sets in. 

As soon as any of these symptoms are observed the 
physician should be notified at once. 

This disease may occur from other causes, as a blow 
on the abdomen, inflammation of the womb or ovaries, 
and exposure to cold and damp. 

Treatment. — As soon as any tenderness is felt over 
the abdomen, and especially if this should be followed by 
a chill, a hot fomentation of hops should be applied over 
the entire abdomen, and this should be covered with oiled 
silk to retain the heat, and it should be renewed every two 
hours. Spirits of turpentine rubbed well into the skin of 
the abdomen once or twice a day, will also be found of 
great service. 

The fever is best controlled by the following : Tincture 
of aconite root, 20 drops; tincture of veratrum viride 
(Norwood's) 30 drops; water, 4 ounces. Mix, and give 
a teaspoonful every half-hour till the skin becomes cool and 
moist. Opium is a valuable remedy in these cases, and is 
best given in Dover s powder, 10 grains of which may be 
given as soon as the fever abates, and repeated in six 
hours. This allays the pain, causes sleep, and promotes 
free perspiration. The vaginal injection should be used 
as previously recommended, but the water should be as 
hot as can be borne with comfort. To relieve the disten- 
tion of the abdomen, by preventing the accumulation of 
gas, and to keep up the action of the skin, the following 
will be found useful: Fluid extract of prickly ash ber- 
ries, y 2 ounce; fluid extract of pleurisy root, I ounce; 
glycerine, enough to make 4 ounces. Mix, and give 
a teaspoonful in a teacupful of hot water every two or three 






DISEASES FOLLOWING LABOR. 283 

hours. The bowels need not be disturbed for a few days, 
but as the fever subsides the bowels can be moved by an 
enema. 

Should there be any obstruction of the kidneys, 20 
grains of acetate of potash may be given in a wineglassful 
of water three times a day. Soups, broths, gruel and milk 
should constitute the diet for a few days, and the patient 
should be kept absolutely quiet till all symptoms of the 
disease have disappeared. 

Puerperal or Child-bed Fever. — Puerperal or 
child-bed fever usually results from absorption of the 
poisonous matter that lies in contact with the womb and 
vagina. This blood and matter soon receives air germs 
from without, which cause putrefaction, and the absorp- 
tion of the putrefied fluids causes blood-poisoning. 

This fever is also preceded by a chill and great ten- 
derness over the lower part of the abdomen, the fever 
runs high, and the tongue is fiery red, dry and slimy in 
appearance. 

Treatment. — When the parts are properly cleansed 
with the carbolized injections two or three times a day, 
as previously advised, there is rarely any danger of this 
fever developing. If it does show itself, the parts should 
be thoroughly cleansed at once, and an examination 
should be made to ascertain if any part of the afterbirth 
has been retained, and, if so, this should be removed. 
Norwood's tincture of veratrum viride should be given in 
doses of 3 drops every half-hour till the fever subsides. 
As this fever may be preceded or followed by puerperal 
convulsions or general peritonitis, the physician must be 
depended on to treat each case according to the special 
developments manifested. 



284 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Phlegmasia Dolens, or Milk -Leg. — Phlegmasia 
dolens is the technical name applied to an inflammation 
and swelling of the leg, which sometimes occurs after 
childbirth. The condition was long called milk-leg, 
because it was supposed that the milk left the breasts and 
settled in the leg. This mistake no doubt arose from the 
fact of the skin looking white and shiny, and there being 
an absence of milk in the breasts. The disease is now 
generally recognized as an inflammation of the veins, due 
to a vitiated or poisoned condition of the blood. 

The disease may appear as early as the fourth day 
after confinement, but it most generally develops between 
the tenth and fifteenth days. It usually begins with severe 
rigors, which are followed by deep-seated pains in the 
groin and thigh, and an increase in the temperature of the 
skin. In a few hours a swelling is noticed in the calf of 
the leg, which gradually extends upward, involving the 
entire thigh. Sometimes the swelling begins in the thigh, 
and extends downward. The pain is very severe, and is 
greatly increased by motion. The limb is heavy and stiff, 
and it is so powerless that the patient finds it impossible 
to move it. The swelling rarely attacks both legs at once, 
though, when it subsides in one, it may develop in the 
other leg. 

The swelling leaves the parts hard and elastic, with the 
skin stretched so that it is smooth and tense. It presents 
a shining, white appearance, and is extremely sensitive to 
the touch. 

Sometimes abscesses may form in different parts of 
the leg, but this is a rare complication. It seldom proves 
fatal, but, as the swelling and pain subside, a numbness of 
the leg remains for some time. 



DISEASES FOLLOWING LABOR. 285 

Treatment. — If the bowels are constipated, they 
should be moved freely by 1 ounce of Rochelle salts. To 
allay the fever, 3 drops of Norwood's tincture of veratrum 
viride should be given every hour, till the skin becomes 
moist, or nausea is produced. For the purpose of control- 
ling the morbid action and relieving the pain, the following 
should be given: Tincture of yellow jessamine, ]/ 2 
ounce; tincture of black cohosh, and tincture of colchicum, 
of each 1^ ounce; compound syrup of stillingia, enough 
to make 6 ounces. Mix, and take a teaspoonful every 
three hours. After the pain has subsided, y 2 an ounce of 
iodide of potash should be added to this mixture, and this 
should be continued till the swelling goes down. 

The best local treatment consists in wrapping the leg 
in sheets of cotton batting, and then with oiled silk. This 
will cause free perspiration, which is the thing most 
desired. After the fever subsides the leg should be 
bandaged snugly but tightly from the toes up, to pro- 
mote absorption, and thus reduce the leg to its natural 
size. 

Puerperal Mania. — Puerperal mania is a form of 
acute insanity that is sometimes developed after confine- 
ment. It occurs in persons of an excitable, nervous tem- 
perament, and in those who dread insanity because 
members of their families have been insane. In most 
cases a condition of melancholy is present during the last 
weeks of pregnancy, and an examination of the urine will 
usually show a large percentage of albumen. 

The mind becomes unbalanced suddenly, as a rule, 
and the patient becomes so violent that injury to herself 
or others must be carefully guarded against. After the 
violent paroxysms subside, the patient is apt to settle 



286 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

down into a condition of melancholia. During the stage 
of mania, death may occur at any moment, but, when 
melancholia sets in, reason is lost. 

Such cases must be managed by the experienced 
physician according to the symptoms presented, and, when 
any indications of violence or loss of mind are observed, 
he should be immediately notified. 

Sore Nipples. — The nipples often become so sore 
that the mother cannot endure the pain occasioned by the 
child nursing. Sometimes the nipple will even be seen to 
crack and bleed after each application of the child. 

Treatment. — To guard against this trouble, the 
nipple should be prepared by bathing it twice a day for a 
couple of months before the time of confinement, with a 
mixture of 10 grains of tannin and an ounce of brandy. 
The nipple should be washed with tepid water, and care- 
fully dried immediately after each nursing. 

When soreness and cracking of the nipples have 
already taken place, a hot flaxseed-meal poultice should 
be applied, and changed every hour or two till the inflam- 
mation and soreness are relieved. Then wash the nipple 
with a solution of five drops of carbolic acid (95 per cent.) 
to the ounce of water, and afterward apply over it a piece 
of lint saturated in the same solution. This dressing 
should be applied after each nursing. During the treat- 
ment it is best to protect the nipple by a nipple-shield when 
the child is nursing. After the part is healed, the nipple 
should be washed immediately after each nursing, and then 
the solution of tannin and brandy should be applied. Of 
course this should be washed off before the child is again 
applied to the breast. This will harden the skin, and 
prevent a recurrence of the soreness. 




MISS CARRIE DANIELS. 



DISEASES FOLLOWING LABOR. 287 

Gathered Breasts. — When the secretion of milk 
begins, it often happens that the glands of the breasts 
become so distended that they become hard and tender 
from the pressure of the milk. If care is not taken 
to rub the breasts while in this condition, so as 
to cause the milk to flow from the nipples, the pressure 
will increase till inflammation sets in. The veins of 
the breasts first become distended, and the skin becomes 
discolored; the pain is of a heavy, crushing character at 
first, but finally assumes a beating, throbbing character, 
which is always indicative of the formation of pus, or 
matter, and the development of abscess. 

Treatment. — When the least tenderness or hardness is 
felt, the breasts should be rubbed gently till they become 
soft and milk is got from the nipples. A breast-pump 
should then be used to draw off the milk. If this does not 
give relief, apply to the breasts cloths saturated in the fol- 
lowing mixture: Muriate of ammonia, 2 drachms; fluid 
extract of poke root, 2 ounces; alcohol, 4 ounces; water, 
enough to make 1 pint. The cloths should be kept wet 
and covered with dry flannel till the pain is relieved. In 
addition to this, 10 drops of fluid extract of poke root 
should be taken, in water, after each meal and at bed- 
time. 

If a deep-seated throbbing pain is felt, the surgeon 
should be consulted at once, as much suffering and 
destruction of tissue will be saved by making an early 
and free incision into the center of the inflamed part. 
After the use of the knife, a hot flaxseed-meal poultice 
should be applied every two or three hours for a day or 
two. Those who dread the use of the knife and leave 
these cases till they open themselves, suffer much more 



288 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

than is necessary, and, as a rule, the breast will be 
deformed. 

SORE Mouth. — It sometimes happens that nursing 
women suffer from a peculiar form of sore mouth, which 
is called the sore -mouth of 7iursing women. It manifests 
itself by a severe scalding of the tongue and mouth, and 
a pink color of the membrane. It is generally a condi- 
tion resulting from debility and constipation. 

Treatment. — The bowels should be regulated and 30 

drops of dialyzed iron should be given in half a wineglass- 

ful of water three or four times a day. As a wash an 

infusion, or tea, made by adding a pint of boiling water 

to one ounce of crushed root of golden seal. To this an 

even teaspoonful of powdered borax should be added, and 

then the mouth should be washed with it two or three 

times a day. 

ACCIDENTS OF LABOR. 

During the progress of labor, the neck of the womb 
or the perineum may be torn, either from the pressure of 
a large head or from the use of instruments. These cases 
require to be properly treated to prevent serious troubles 
in after years. 

Laceration of the Perineum. — The perineum is 
the name applied to the space between the back part of 
the vagina and the rectum. The pressure of the child's 
head, or the use of instruments, may tear through all 
these tissues so as to connect the vagina and rectum, or 
the tear may only extend partly through the tissues. 
These parts should be carefully examined as soon as the 
labor is over, and, if there is any tear, it should be 
attended to at once, by the insertion of two or more 
stitches. To insure the success of the operation, the 



MISCARRIAGE AND HEMORRHAGE. 289 

urine should be drawn off with a catheter for a week or 
ten days, after which the stitches may be removed. 

When such lacerations are not attended to at once, 
much suffering and inconvenience are produced, and after 
a time an operation must be performed which will confine 
the patient to bed for at least five or six weeks. Many 
cases of chronic invalidism in women result from neglect 
in operating on lacerated perineum; and, when an opera- 
tion is properly performed, prompt and complete relief is 
secured. No woman should allow even a slight rupture 
of the perineum to go without being operated on. 

Laceration of the Neck of the Womb. — Some- 
times the neck of the womb is torn during the progress of 
the labor, but is not reorganized till symptoms of inflam- 
mation are subsequently developed. If not relieved by a 
proper operation, it is sure to occasion much suffering, and 
will usually prevent the possibility of subsequent preg- 
nancy. An experienced surgeon should always be con- 
sulted, and an operation should be performed as soon as 
the parts are in proper condition from local treatment. 

MISCARRIAGE AND HEMORRHAGE. 

When the foetus is expelled from the womb before 
the seventh month of pregnancy, it is called abortion, or 
miscarriage. These terms are synonymous, though the 
term abortion has by usage come to mean, with many, 
the expulsion of the foetus caused by criminal interference; 
while miscarriage is the term applied to its accidental 
expulsion. 

Miscarriage may be caused by a debilitated condition 
of the mother, by the death of the foetus from any cause, 
by any severe mental shock or injury, and by criminal 
interference. When it once occurs, it is likely to take 



290 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

place again about the same time at each succeeding preg- 
nancy. It may occur at any time prior to the seventh 
month, but is most frequent between the eighth and 
twelfth weeks. 

The symptoms are intermittent pains resembling 
those of labor, and a sudden and profuse hemorrhage 
from the womb. Sometimes it is ushered in by a severe 
chill which is followed by high fever. 

Treatment. — The patient should assume the recum- 
bent position as soon as the first symptoms appear. A 
quarter-grain morphine pill should be given at once to 
relieve the pain; and to prevent the uterine action, half a 
teaspoonful of fluid extract of black haw should be given 
in water, three or four times a day. This remedy is 
almost a specific for the prevention of miscarriage, and 
women who habitually miscarry should begin taking it 
several days before the usual time that the miscarriage 
takes place, and it should be continued for a week or ten 
days after it has passed. 

When severe hemorrhage occurs, the physician should 
be sent for as soon as possible, as he needs to resort to 
mechanical means to control it. Before the physician 
arrives, it may be necessary to lower the head and elevate 
the hips, to apply cloths wet in cold water to the vulva 
and over the lower part of the abdomen. As the hem- 
orrhage cannot be relieved till the fcetus is expelled, the 
physician must be allowed to make an examination imme- 
diately on arriving, so as to be able to render assistance 
at the first possible moment. 

PREMATURE LABOR. 

By premature labor is meant the expulsion of the 
fcetus before the full period, and after the seventh month 



MOTHER'S MARKS. 291 

of pregnancy, when the child may live, though not fully 
developed. These labors come on the same as a natural 
labor, but, as a rule, are not so severe. The same general 
management of the mother is required, but much more 
care is necessary to establish and sustain the vitality of the 
child. Some women habitually begin labor at the seventh 
month, and, as before stated, a living child born at that 
time is recognized, the world over, as legitimate. 

STILL-BIRTH. 

When a child is born dead, it is said to be still-born. 
To be still-born, it must never have breathed. If it 
breathes, it is not still-born, and it is often very important 
that this matter should be carefully noted. Circumstances 
may arise when the breathing of a child involves very 
important issues. If a will is made leaving property to 
the children of a certain man or woman, the still-born 
child could not inherit, but, should the child breathe and 
die the next minute, that child would be the heir, and 
must inherit the property, which would go to its parents, 
as its natural heirs. Any other provision of the will 
would be annulled by the fact that the child had breathed. 

Still-births are often more difficult than natural labor, 
but the general management of the matter is the same as 
before described. Strict attention must be paid to the 
condition of the breasts, as they will cake and become 
inflamed if not managed as described under the article on 
" Gathered Breasts." 

PRE-NATAL IMPRESSIONS AND MOTHER'S MARKS. 

The influence upon the child of impressions received 
by the mother during the period of gestation is now so 
fully recognized that it is unnecessary to discuss it. All 



292 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

who have studied the subject admit that the future well- 
being of the child depends, in a great measure, upon the 
condition and surroundings of the mother before its birth. 
A delicate, sickly mother cannot impart a healthy physical 
structure to her child; nor can a mother who is worried 
and fretted by the cares of life, who is forced to live in an 
atmosphere of discord, drunkenness or debauch, who 
suffers from some overpowering grief, or who lives in con- 
stant dread of poverty or abuse, impart to he"r child a 
mental organization of healthy, vigorous equipoise. The 
child's mental and physical conditions correspond with the 
conditions of the mother during the period of pregnancy. 
If the mother is happy, contented and healthy, her child 
will have an evenly balanced mind and body, and the 
reverse is equally true. 

How important, then, that the pregnant woman 
should be surrounded by all that makes life pleasant and 
beautiful, that promotes her own health and satisfies all 
the higher aspirations of her nature; for in this way only 
is the impress left upon the fcetus that insures a perfect 
child. 

A great variety of marks and deformities which are 
present at birth are distinctly traceable to frights and 
impressions received by the mother while carrying the 
child. To adduce the testimony in support of this would 
occupy too much space; but every woman can find some 
evidence on the subject among her own friends. It can 
be laid down as a rule that should never be violated, that 
a pregnant woman should not expose herself where she 
would be likely to see any disgusting or horrible sight, 
where she could be frightened in any way, or where her 
emotions were likely to be strongly wrought upon. All 



mother's marks. 293 

such impressions are liable to leave their impress upon the 
child, and many of them will mar its whole life. 

Mother's marks thus caused may affect the habits and 
disposition of the child, or may cause deformities such as 
discoloration of the skin, large moles, vascular tumors, 
hare-lip and cleft palate, deformities of the head, back 
and legs, redundant fingers and toes, or abnormal devel- 
opments in the form of monstrosities. 

Many of these physical defects can be remedied by 
surgical interference, but the mental and moral remain as 
a heritage from the mother which the child must carry 
through life. 



CHAPTER VII. 

BABYHOOD. 

Care of the New-Born Babe — Infant Feeding — Baby Hygiene — 
Physical and Mental Development. 

BABYHOOD embraces the first two years of life, and 
is in many respects the most important period of human 
existence. We cannot conceive of a more helpless thing 
than a new-born babe. It can breathe, utter a feeble 
cry, and is possessed of a degree of automatic motion, 
but, morally and intellectually, it has not commenced to 
live. With proper nourishment and care, it begins to 
grow, but it is not till about the third month that we 
notice the gradual dawning of intellectual life. 

During the whole period of babyhood the child is 
often at the mercy of persons who know nothing about 
the care of infants, and thus ignorance and officious 
interference not only render it uncomfortable, but also 
lay the foundation for disease, and swell the lists of infant 
mortality. 

When it is remembered that nearly one-sixth of all 
the children born die before the completion of their first 
year, the importance of a more general knowledge of the 
care of infants becomes apparent. This great mortality 
does not result from necessity, but is the natural sequence 
of violated laws. How, then, shall we secure the health 
of our babes and diminish our yearly death-rate of the 
innocents. The essentials are few and simple, and con- 
sist in securing for them cleanliness, pure air, suitable 

2Q4 






BABYHOOD. 295 

clothing, proper food and rational physical, moral and 
mental development. 

CARE OF THE NEW-BORN BABE. 

As previously stated, the first care of the attendant, 
after the birth of the child, should be to see that it breathes 
properly. If it does not, the chest and abdomen should 
be sprinkled with hot water, and the lower ribs should be 
gently pressed upon with a hand on each side, so as to 
promote artificial breathing. After pressing in the ribs 
for a moment, the pressure should be removed, when air 
will be drawn into the lungs, when the pressure is again 
applied and relaxed, alternately, till the breathing is 
established. Should this fail, a thin handkerchief should 
be placed over the open mouth of the child, when the 
attendant places his mouth over it and blows, so as to 
force air into the lungs. By repeating this a few times, 
and keeping up the artificial respiration, animation will be 
established even in cases where it would seem to be 
impossible. 

As soon as the babe cries and the cord is severed, it 
should be placed in a warm blanket, and left in a safe 
place till the mother is cared for. 

Washing the Babe. — At birth the skin of the child 
is covered with a white, tenacious substance, called vernix 
caseosa, or cheesy varnish, that is often difficult to remove. 
To render its removal easy, the entire body, including the 
scalp, should be gently rubbed with vaseline or sweet olive 
oil, and this should be left on for about an hour. Then 
the child should be wiped with a piece of soft flannel, 
which removes this secretion. The room should be warm, 
and the water for washing the child should feel quite warm 



296 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

to the hand of the nurse, or, if tested by the thermometer, 
it should register from 92 to 95 . Castile or fine toilet 
soap, and a soft linen cloth should be used. The greatest 
care must be taken to get the skin thoroughly clean, 
especially about the head, arm-pits, groins, vulva and 
between the buttocks, but the skin must not be irritated 
by hard rubbing. The eyes and mouth must be thor- 
oughly cleaned with clear water, and care must be taken 
to prevent the soap from getting into the eyes. Soft 
towels should be used for drying, which should be done 
by gently patting the skin, instead of rubbing. After the 
skin is thoroughly dried, it should be powdered with fine 
rice-powder, especially about the neck, arm-pits, groins, 
knees and vulva. 

Dressing the Child. — Attention should next be 
directed to dressing the navel. If at hand, the stump of 
the cord can be wrapped in a thin layer of prepared ab- 
sorbent cotton, but a piece of soft old linen will answer 
equally well. The linen should be smeared with sweet oil 
or vaseline and wrapped around the cord so as to cover 
the cut end and keep the whole from coming in contact 
with the skin. The cord, thus dressed, is laid to one side, 
flat on the abdomen, and is retained in position by a thin 
flannel bandage, about four inches wide, applied snugly 
around the body, but care must betaken not to have it too 
tight. 

The babe is then dressed with long skirts, petticoats 
and gowns, made of soft, warm materials, all of which 
should be fastened by strings or safety-pins. The long 
skirts are necessary to keep the feet and legs warm. 

The diapers should be made of canton-flannel or soft 
old linen, to prevent unnecessary chafing. 



INFANT FEEDING. 2gj 

A soft flannel shawl should be wrapped around the 
shoulders and arms to complete the dressing. 

What Shall the Babe Eat? — Many people imag- 
ine that the child must be hungry, and, as the mother has 
no milk at first, they commence to feed it sugar and water, 
catnip tea, and other old woman's decoctions. Others 
again administer a purgative, as manna, or castor-oil. 
These practices cannot be too strongly condemned, as 
they are sure to derange the child's digestion from the 
start, and leave it a victim of colic and wakefulness. 

After the child is dressed, it should be given a tea- 
spoonful of cold water, but nothing else. It should be 
applied to the breast as soon as the mother has had a rest, 
after the confinement. The mother's breasts, from the first, 
contain a watery fluid called colostrum, that not only nour- 
ishes the child, but also acts as a purgative which clears 
the bowels of the dark excrement called the meconium, 
that constitutes the first discharge from the bowels. The 
prompt removal of the colostrum by the child makes room 
for the milk, and prevents the possibility of caking of the 
breasts. 

INFANT FEEDING. 

Infant feeding is a subject that has demanded and 
received a large share of popular as well as professional 
attention during the past decade. A lengthy discussion 
of the question, however, would occupy more space than 
I have at command, so that I can do no more than state 
the established facts in brief, with the hope that my 
readers will be guided by them in the future. 

Human life is divided into three periods, viz.: 1st, 
the period of growth ; 2d, the period of interchange ; and 
3d, the period of decay. 



298 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

The period of growth begins with birth, and ends 
with the full development of all the organs and tissues of 
the body, which usually includes twenty or twenty-one 
years. Several changes of food are necessary during this 
time, but articles containing nitrogen must always be sup- 
plied in greater quantities that at any other period of life, 
as this class of foods is essential for the growth of 
organized tissues. The natural food of infants — mother's 
milk — contains a proportionately large excess of nitrog- 
enous matter over the amount necessary for the food of 
the adult, and hence the growth of the babe is very rapid. 
Analysis shows human milk to contain about four per cent, 
of nitrogenous matter, less than three per cent, of fatty 
matter, and about four and one fourth per cent, of 
sugar. 

Nursing. — A child should have no other kind of food 
but its mother's milk for at least six months. As before 
stated, it should be applied to the breasts as soon as the 
mother has had a few hours' rest. For the first six or 
eight weeks the child should be nursed every two hours 
during the day, and every three hours during the night. 
After the second month the intervals should be gradually 
increased until they reach three or four hours during the 
day, and six or eight hours during the night. The child 
should nurse from each breast alternately. 

The mother should pay sufficient attention to her own 
diet to be able to furnish wholesome food for her child. 
She should avoid all articles of food that disagree with her, 
should eat wholesome and nutritious food at all times, and 
drink water and milk in preference to other fluids. It 
is a mistake for a nursing mother to drink ale and other 
stimulants to increase the flow of milk. If she cannot 



INFANT FEEDING. 299 

supply enough milk without these expedients, she had 
better wean her child at once. 

The nursing mother should also avoid being over- 
heated from any cause, as it is sure to affect the milk. 
She should also avoid getting into a passion or showing 
any degree of temper, as all such things influence the con- 
dition of the child. 

After the sixth month, the child may be fed once or 
twice a day with broth or beef tea, pure at first, but after- 
ward thickened with tapioca, baked flour, biscuit, etc. ; 
or it may suck the juice from a piece of steak, roast beef, 
or roast mutton. It is a mistake to commence feeding a 
child' with potatoes and bread, at least until after its eye 
teeth are cut, as it cannot yet properly digest much starchy 
food. 

Weaning. — If the mother is strong and has sufficient 
milk, a child may be nursed till it is a year old; but 
there are ma ay conditions that often make it necessary 
to wean it long before that time. 

If the mother's milk disagrees with the child, it should 
be weaned as soon as this fact is apparent. Should the 
mother be weak or debilitated from any cause, or be suf- 
fering from any disease, the child should not be allowed 
to nurse even if there appears to be an abundant supply of 
milk. The child should not nurse after the re-appearance 
of the menstrual flow, or after the mother becomes preg- 
nant. If the mother is well and strong, it is best to carry 
a child through an approaching summer, especially if the 
child is delicate. In such cases the child may be nursed 
eighteen months or even longer. With our better knowl- 
edge of artificial feeding, however, the question of weaning 
is not so serious a matter as it was formerly, as the change 



300 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

can be effected without danger to the digestion of the 
child. 

The proper way to wean a child is to stop giving it 
the breast at once. The child will be satisfied in the day- 
time, but at night it should sleep away from its mother for 
a few nights. Even the child can be made to feel that this 
is the best way, and the effect is much better than when 
bitter applications are made to the nipples. 

Artificial Feeding. — When a mother finds herself 
unable to nurse her child, a wet-nurse is, of course, the 
next best thing. The selection of a wet-nurse, however, 
is a matter that requires the utmost care, as it is necessary 
that she should be perfectly healthy and of a good disposition. 
No nurse can care for two children and supply them with 
sufficient food, and, when it is attempted, both children 
suffer. It, therefore, goes without saying, that a woman 
who has a living child should not be engaged to wet-nurse 
another. The wet-nurse should also be selected with 
reference to the age of her milk, and her own confine- 
ment should have been as near as possible to the birth of 
the child she is to nurse. 

It is not always possible to procure a wet-nurse, and, 
therefore,' we must have recourse to such artificial foods as 
can be best provided. 

The common custom is to substitute cow's milk by 
reducing it one-half or two-thirds with water, which so 
reduces the quantity of the nutritious elements that the 
child is not half nourished. The proper method of 
preparing cow's milk for infant feeding is best shown 
by a comparison of the analysis of cow's and human 
milk. 



INFANT FEEDING. 301 

The subjoined table shows the quantities of the dif- 
ferent ingredients contained in 1,000 parts of milk; 

Nitrog- 
Water. enous Butter. Sugar. Salts. Total. 
Matters. 

Woman's milk 889.08 39.24 26.66 43.64 1.34 1,000 

Cow's milk 864.06 55-15 36.00 38.00 6.64 1,000 

It will thus be seen that the cow's milk contains more 
nitrogenous matter (caseine) and more fat (butter) and less 
sugar and water, than woman's milk. Without an accu- 
rate chemical test, then, we can say that cow's milk should 
only be reduced by mixing four-fifths milk and one-fifth 
water; that is, by adding one ounce of water to four 
ounces of milk, and then adding a few grains of sugar of 
milk. After the third month the milk can be given pure. 

Many people recommend the use of condensed milk, 
but my experience in its use has been anything but favor- 
able. 

In fact, the unfavorable conditions that so often fol- 
low even the use of cow's milk, carefully prepared, has 
caused much attention to be devoted to the preparation 
of infants' foods, and a large number have been given to 
the public, each of which has been recommended as supe- 
rior to any other food for infants. For a long time I was 
disposed to stick to the cow's milk, prepared as above, 
but I found so much difficulty in the digestion of the 
caseine, or cheese, that I was forced to look around for 
some food that would be free from this objection, and I 
have found one in — 

Carnrick's Soluble Food. — This food is composed 
of the solid constituents of milk, sugar-of-milk and the 
finest quality of wheat. The starch in the wheat is con- 
verted into dextrine and soluble starch, by being kept 



302 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

for eight hours at a temperature of nearly 300 degrees 
Fahrenheit. To make the caseine, or cheesy part, of the 
cow's milk as easily digestible as that of human milk, it is 
sufficiently predigested with pancreatine to render it 
impossible to be formed into hard and indigestible curds 
in the child's stomach. 

This food is put up in one and five pound cans, and 
each can contains a scoop or measure, with which to 
measure out the quantity of food required for a meal. 
Full directions for preparing will be found on each can, 
but the nurse should always prepare enough portions to 
last the child through the night. This food will keep any 
length of time, it requires no addition of milk, is always 
ready for use, and can be prepared for the child in a few 
moments. It is also free from the fermentations that 
occur in milk, and from the development of poisons, such 
as tyrotoxicon, which often causes cholera infantum and 
other intestinal disorders. 

Personal experience in the use of this food in my own 
family has led me to adopt it, and since then I have used 
and recommended no other. Not only does the child 
thrive, but the flesh is hard and firm, the skin has a healthy 
glow, and every function of the body seems to be perfectly 
performed. I have recommended it in a great many cases, 
and always with the same good results. 

Another preparation called Lacto-Prefiarata, which is 
prepared wholly from milk, with the caseine digested as in 
the Soluble Food, and part of the butter replaced by cocoa 
butter, is recommended to be used during the first six 
months. For delicate children this is certainly the best 
food that can be used, but after the sixth month the 
Soluble Food should be substituted for it. 



INFANT FEEDING. 303 

The Soluble Food is all the child requires till about the 
twelfth month, after which the soups, broths, etc., can be 
given, as previously recommended. Until teething is 
completed, however, the Soluble Food should constitute 
the principal diet of the child ; and even in the earlier 
years of childhood it will be found valuable in all cases of 
sickness where other foods cannot be tolerated. 

Milk can be mixed with this food, but experience has 
taught me that the child thrives best when it is prepared 
with water alone. 

Nursing Bottles. — Nursing bottles with long tubes 
should never be used, for it is impossible to keep them 
clean, and, when particles of food remaining in the tube 
sour, serious troubles of the stomach and bowels are sure 
to follow. The plain black-rubber nipple is the best, and 
can be used on any narrow-necked bottle that has a rim at 
its edge. Several of these should always be on hand, 
and they, as well as the bottles, should be thoroughly 
cleansed after using. 

Temperature of Food. — In artificial feeding the 
temperature of the food is an important matter. If it 
could always be given at a uniformly tepid temperature, 
no doubt that would be the best; but, as the food is apt to 
be too hot at one time and cold at another, it is best that 
it should be allowed to stand for an hour in the living 
room before using, and then given to the child without 
heating. This insures a uniformity of temperature that 
will always be found to agree with the child. In cold 
weather the bottle should be placed in a kettle of water of 
ioo° temperature for ten minutes, which will take the 
chill off the milk before the child takes it. 



304 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Thirst of Infants. — Infants often fret and cry, 
and yet refuse to take food. In such cases a table- 
spoonful of cold water should be given from a nursing- 
bottle, when it will be found that the child takes it eagerly, 
and is quieted at once. In fact, a child should always 
be given a drink of water when it is fretful between the 
regular hours for feeding. If the child is constipated, a 
drink of cold water should be given three or four times 
a day. 

Food for Second Year. — After the twelfth month, 
it is usual to feed the babe on more substantial food. It 
is seated at the table, and is too often supplied with all 
that is before it at each meal. This is a serious mistake, 
and often leads to fatal results. Soluble Food, when used, 
can be continued as the principal article of diet during the 
second year of babyhood, and should be substituted for 
the mother's milk when the baby is weaned In addition 
to this, animal broths may be given once or twice a day, 
or a piece of steak or roast beef may be given for the 
child to suck, but solid meats, potatoes, sweet cakes,, and 
large quantities of bread should be avoided, as the 
stomach is not yet ready to digest such solid foods. Of 
course all foods should now be given with a spoon, even 
when the bottle has been previously used. 

BABY HYGIENE. 

The health of the baby is the first requisite for health 
in after life, and every woman should understand how to 
care for a babe, so as to insure its good health as years go 
by. Everything should be done for the child in a sys- 



BABY HYGIENE. 305 

tematic way, and thus the foundation for regular habits is 
laid that will usually prove serviceable through life. 

Aside from the feeding of the infant, the daily 
observance of hygienic laws must be insisted upon. 
These are best considered under the following heads; viz. : 
bathing, clothing, sleep, exercise, and fresh air. 

Bathing. — The babe should be washed every morn- 
ing, but the bathing should be done as quickly as pos- 
sible. After the child is stripped, it should be wrapped 
in a woolen blanket or shawl, when its head and face 
should be carefully washed, special care being taken to 
thoroughly cleanse the eyes, nose, ears and neck. The 
eyes and face should be washed first without soap, after 
which soap may be used. The mouth, tongue and gums 
should then be cleansed with a fine piece of old linen 
cloth and clean water, and then a couple of spoon- 
fuls of water should be given as a drink. Then, with 
enough of water to cover the body and shoulders, the 
child should be placed in the baby's bath-tub, and gently, 
but quickly washed from neck to feet, care being taken to 
thoroughly cleanse the arm-pits, groins, between the but- 
tocks and between the thighs. The water should be luke- 
warm (from 92 to 94 degrees), and a very fine sponge or a 
fine piece of old flannel, with castile or fine toilet soap, 
should be used. As soon as the child is properly washed, 
it should be wrapped in the blanket, and dried quickly 
with soft towels pressed and gently patted on the skin. 
Scrubbing and rubbing with cloths and sponges must be 
avoided, but every part must be thoroughly dried. 

All parts that are likely to chafe should be well 



306 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

powdered as soon as the skin is dried. The arms, legs, 
back, chest and abdomen should then be gently rubbed 
with the palm of the hand, thus giving a healthy glow to 
the skin, which prevents the taking of cold. During this 
rubbing, however, the body must not be unnecessarily 
exposed. 

A sponge, with a little warm water, should be used to 
thoroughly cleanse the child after each action of the 
bowels or bladder, and it should always be changed as soon 
as soiled, in order to keep the child comfortable and to 
prevent chafing. 

The abdomen, around the stump of the cord, should 
be carefully cleansed, but the dressing of the cord should 
not be removed till a natural separation takes place. If 
the dressing becomes hard, a little vaseline or sweet oil 
should be applied to it, but the cord should never be 
pulled till it drops off itself. After it has separated, a soft 
piece of cotton cloth should be placed over the navel 
before applying the roller. If this should stick to the 
surface, it should not be forcibly removed, and, if it 
should still adhere after the bath, a drop or two of oil 
may be applied, and a fresh piece of cloth applied over it. 

Chafing and Excoriation. — The skin around the 
anus and genitals, and between the thighs, often becomes 
chafed or reddened, and in some cases it becomes so 
excoriated as to become very painful. To overcome 
this condition, the parts must be scrupulously cleansed, 
and should then be bathed with a carbolic acid wash, about 
the strength of fifteen drops of carbolic acid to a goblet of 
water. The parts must then be thoroughly dried, and 



BABY HYGIENE. 307 

dusted with finely powdered subnitrate of bismuth. This 
should be done every time the diaper is changed. Oint- 
ments and grease of all kinds should be avoided. 

CLOTHING. — The errors in infant clothing are often 
productive of much harm, and a careful consideration of 
the different articles is not out of place here. 

The bandage is, as a rule, applied too tightly, and 
therefore gives rise to colic, constipation, difficult breath- 
ing, and the beginning of compression of the ribs, that 
usually interferes with natural development of the thoracic 
and abdominal viscera. The only use of the bandage is 
to hold the dressings of the cord, and even for this it 
should be loosely applied. As soon as the cord separates, 
and the navel has healed, the bandage should be discarded. 
This allows a natural expansion of the lungs and a devel- 
opment of the abdominal muscles, without the danger of 
displacement of any of the organs. 

The diapers should not be of new, harsh linen, but of 
old, well-worn linen, or canton flannel. They should be 
washed and thoroughly dried, even after each discharge 
of urine, as it insures against the chafing so common 
where the diapers are dried after being wet, without wash- 
ing. 

A fine, seamless knitted shirt should be worn next 
the skin, and the sleeves should extend to the wrist. 

The petticoats should be of fine flannel, and their 
waists should be of canton flannel, instead of the harsh, 
stiff cotton material of which they are usually made. The 
waist should not be more than four inches wide, and 
should never be pinned too tightly. 



308 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

The dress should also be of fine texture and of white 
material. 

The dresses and petticoats should be sufficiently long 
to wrap up the feet so as to keep them warm, but the 
extreme length adopted by many mothers is a burden for 
the child and an unnecessary inconvenience for those tak- 
ing care of it. After the second or third month, if the 
child is healthy, the skirts should be shortened to a few 
inches below the feet, and fine woolen socks should be 
worn. At about the eighth month they should be further 
shortened, so as to extend no further than the ankles. 
This gives opportunity for the free motion of the feet and 
legs, which should not be restrained under any circum- 
stances. The clothing worn during the day should not be 
worn at night, and it is always best to use fine flannels for 
the baby's nightgown. 

All the clothing should be loose, so as not to make 
undue pressure about the stomach, chest, neck or arms, 
and tapes or safety-pins should always be used. 

The clothes should be well dried, and should never be 
pu.t on while damp, nor should they be put on when taken 
hot from before the fire. 

The custom of putting caps on infants, which is still 
followed by many, is sure to keep the head too warm and 
cause undue perspiration, which renders the child liable to 
catch cold. Under all circumstances the child is better 
without caps, either day or night. 

When a child is taken out, a knitted worsted sack 
should be put on, and over this a long warm cloak should 
be worn. A knitted worsted hood and a veil of the same 
material should be worn in cold weather, but in mild 
weather the veil should not be worn. When the weather 



BABY HYGIENE. . 309 

is real cold, a warm shawl should be wrapped around the 
other wraps so as to cover all but the face. 

Exercise and Fresh Air. — After the first wash- 
ing of the babe, a system of exercise should be adopted. 
The arms, legs, abdomen, and back should be gently 
rubbed with the palm of the hand after the morning bath, 
and the arms and legs freely moved before it is dressed. 

In summer time the child should be carried in the 
open air daily, after it is a week old, excepting in damp 
weather; but in winter it should not be taken out till it is 
six or eight weeks old, and then not when it is very cold. 
After the fourth month, the child should be kept out for 
an hour at least every day when it is clear overhead. 
The face should not be covered except in very cold 
weather. 

A good exercise for a child after the fourth month is 
to lay it on its back, on a couch or rug, with the diaper 
removed, and allow it to kick and stretch its arms and legs. 
The arms may be gently pulled upward and sideways, and 
the legs downward and slightly outward, a few times. 

The child may be gently moved up and down, but 
should never be violently tossed, as is so often done. 
This violent motion frightens the child, interferes with its 
digestion, and sometimes even brings on convulsions. 

Perfect quiet directly after feeding should always be 
imperative, as motion within fifteen or twenty minutes 
causes the child to eject part of its food and gives rise to 
indigestion 

It is a bad plan to urge a child to stand alone and 
walk too soon. It is equally unwise to urge it to creep. 
Let it sit on the floor, and, if it creeps of its own accord, it 
will secure muscular development without any injury. -A 



3IO FACTS FOR LADIES. 

child attempts to stand and walk as soon as its bones and 
muscles are prepared for doing so. Before this every 
attempt weakens the muscles and causes the bones to bend, 
thus producing the deformities known as bow-legs and 
knock-knees. 

Sleep. — A healthy babe sleeps the greater part of 
the time during the first two months, only awaking for its 
food, and then going to sleep again. Its face should 
never be covered while asleep, but it should be shaded 
from strong light. It should be warmly covered during 
the day, and should sleep with its mother or nurse at night 
for the first two months. This is essential to supply the 
animalheat in which it is deficient during the first weeks 
of life. After the second month it is best for the child 
that it should sleep alone, especially if it is healthy, and 
its extremities keep warm. It should be left alone on 
awaking, if it is quiet, as talking to it and taking it up at 
once excites it, and prevents it from acquiring the 
habit of going to sleep quietly. 

We are often asked, " Should a child be rocked to 
sleep, in arms, or in a cradle? " At the present time 
many claim that rocking is injurious, and should never be 
practiced; but I can see no special harm in moderate 
rocking, and certainly the monotonous motion often lulls 
to sleep when nothing else will. 

After the second month the child sleeps less, and, as 
soon as it begins to notice, it will not be content to 
remain quiet as before. If an attempt is made to put it to 
sleep, it will fret and worry, and will be quiet as soon as 
taken up. Under such circumstances the child should be 
held by the nurse till it becomes sleepy, when it will drop 
to sleep as soon as it is laid down. 



TEETHING. 311 

The living-room of the child should be kept comfort- 
ably warm (about 70 degrees), and should be frequently 
ventilated to keep the air pure. 

When a child cries and is fretful and restless, it is 
either hungry or in pain, and the cause of its distress 
should be sought at once. If it has been fed at regular 
intervals and the feeding-time has not come around, atten- 
tion must be directed to the teething and such conditions 
as are described in Chapter IX., in order to give prompt 
relief. 

The practice of giving infants soothing sirups, pare- 
goric and other sleeping mixtures, cannot be too strongly 
condemned. They doubtless insure long periods of sleep, 
but are sure to ruin the digestion and the nervous system of 
the child, and lay the foundation for a chain of disorders 
that will surely terminate in death. There is no question 
that the use of such drugs, to produce sleep, contributes 
largely to the high percentage of infant mortality we are 
yearly obliged to record, and greatly increases the num- 
ber of puny, sickly children we see all around us. 

TEETHING. 

The period of dentition, or teething, is generally 
looked upon as a critical one in the life of the infant, and 
the cutting of teeth is usually regarded as an abnormal 
process. On the contrary, it is a natural physiological 
development which is essential to prepare the child for a 
change of diet. The teething period so often commences 
or extends into the summer, when so many causes are 
operative in producing disturbances of the digestive 
organs, that it has come to be popularly regarded as the 
primary causes of these disorders. A more careful exam- 



312 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

ination, however, will readily disprove this fallacy, and 
thus allow us to look upon teething in a rational way, and 
to more carefully examine into the causes that give rise to 
the disorders associated with this process. 

It is not easy to fix the time at which teething begins. 
As a rule, infants begin to cut their teeth about the seventh 
month, though some have teeth at three months, and others 
do not have any at nine months. Usually the child begins 
to slobber about the fourth month, thus showing an 
increased action of the salivary glands. After this, there 
is an irritation of the gums, and the child has the desire to 
bite on anything it can get hold of. At times the child is 
fretful and restless, and slight fever may be noticed/ The 
tenderness of the gums prevents it from taking its food 
regularly, and thus derangement of digestion or looseness 
of the bowels may come on. This excitement is allayed 
after the first tooth appears, and is seldom as marked during 
the remainder of the period of teething. If, however, 
there is much intestinal disturbance, especially in feeble 
children, the cutting of the molars and canine teeth is 
attended with more irritation than the first. 

The first, or temporary, teeth are twenty in number, 
and are developed during the first two years. Of these 
eight are incisors, or cutting teeth ; four canine , or dog 
teeth, and eight molars, or grinders. The first teeth are 
cut in pairs, and the lower front incisors are usually the 
first to make their appearance; then the two upper front 
incisors come through the gum. Next in order come the 
upper two lateral incisors, one on each side, and after these 
the lower two lateral incisors. Then come the first molars 
in the lower jaw, followed by the first molars in the upper 
jaw, after which the lower canine or eye teeth, and then 



TEETHING. 313 

the upper canine, appear. The second molars in the lower 
and upper jaws are the last, and these are not cut till the 
child is about two years old. While this is the order in 
which the teeth usually appear, yet they may show them- 
selves in an entirely different rotation. 

Gum-sticks and rings made of bone, when given to a 
child to bite on, often harden the gums, and thus the cut- 
ting of the teeth is made more difficult. If anything of 
the kind is used, a soft rubber ring will be found the most 
serviceable. As a rule, the child prefers its own thumbs 
and fingers, and it is a mistaken idea to suppose that it 
should be prevented from sucking them. It is a comfort 
to the babe to bite and suck its thumbs, which it has 
always at hand, and doing so causes an increased flow of 
saliva, which allays the heat of the gums during teething. 

If the gum is swollen and red, and the tooth appears 
to be under the skin forseveral days, the physician should 
be called in to lance it; but it is never wise to lance the 
gums when the teeth are not near the surface. In such 
cases the wound heals before (the tooth comes through, 
and this forms a hard scar which the tooth cannot pene- 
trate, thus rendering the second, or even the third, lan- 
cing necessary. 

The child's neck and chest should be protected by 
soft bibs, so that it will not be kept constantly wet by the 
dribbling saliva, and for the better protection an oiled-silk 
bib may be used under the muslin or flannel ones. 

Treatment. — In uncomplicated teething, very little 
treatment is required. In addition to its daily bath, a hot 
foot-bath may be given once or twice a day. If the bowels 
are constipated, a teaspoonful of compound sirup of rhu- 
barb and potash should be given every hour till the bowels 



314 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

are moved. If the child is feverish and restless the follow- 
ing will be found serviceable: Tincture aconite root, 5 
drops; tincture gelsemium (fresh root), 10 drops; water, 4 
ounces. Mix, and give a teaspoonful every half-hour till 
quieted. Other complications will be treated of in Chap- 
ter IX. 

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEVELOPMENT. 

It is not enough that a babe's physical wants should 
be supplied. We know that, as helpless as a newly born 
babe is, with proper nourishment and care it immediately 
begins to grow; that proper attention to the hygienic 
rules heretofore laid down, is essential to its physical 
comfort; but we do not know how soon the intellectual 
life begins to dawn. Close observation will prove that 
there is some mental activity after a few weeks. Though 
feeble at first, this activity is strengthened day by day, 
and soon every word and action of those around are 
impressed upon the infant mind, which cannot but be 
influenced to a great extent by these first impressions. 

How important, then, that parents should guard well 
this formative period of mental life, and surround their 
baby with such things as will produce good impressions. 
Wrangling and contention, and the slightest show of 
temper, should be carefully guarded against even before 
very young children, and, when they begin to talk and ask 
innocent questions, they should never be put off with a 
cross word or with an untruthful answer. Never tell a lie 
to a child if you do not wish to make it a liar ; do not 
teach it to do right for the sake of reward or fear of punish- 
ment, and do not punish it for imitating even the vices 
of others, but rather remember that a child develops by 
imitation, and, if you would lay the proper foundation for 



PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEVELOPMENT. 3 1 5 

its moral education, your own lives must be above re- 
proach. In short, you must yourselves be everything 
you would have your child be, for every child derives the 
bent of its moral life from the example of those around it. 

After the third month the mother or nurse, with 
patience and kindness, can impress the infant mind so as 
to direct its action and form its habits. It can soon be 
taught to have an action of the bowels and pass its urine 
when held out for that purpose, and to wait for stated 
intervals for its food. So, too, can it be impressed to lie 
down to sleep after feeding. 

As soon as it begins to follow a bright light with its 
eyes, it should be surrounded by beautiful and pleasing 
objects, and thus a taste for the beautiful is developed ; 
and, if it frequently hears good music, it will soon show a 
fondness for it. 

The utmost care should be taken to speak correctly 
in the hearing of children even from birth, and the habit 
of using baby-talk cannot be too strongly condemned. 
If the same effort is made to make children speak correctly 
at first, as is required to correct their errors of- speech a 
little later, we would soon notice a great improvement in 
the use of our language. 

In short, if we desire to have perfectly developed 
children, both physically and mentally, they should be the 
objects of our greatest solicitude from the moment of con- 
ception to maturity. The prenatal condition of the child 
must be first considered, and then we must see to it, that, 
during the period of babyhood, while physical develop- 
ment goes on, the moral and intellectual growth is so 
guarded and directed as to insure a mental development 
that will fit the child for a noble and useful life. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

CHILDHOOD. 

Development of Both Sexes Alike Till Puberty — Education of Chil- 
dren — Hygiene of Childhood. 

Childhood begins with the end of the second year, 
and extends to the age of puberty. This is a period of 
growth and development to which too little attention has 
heretofore been given. Under our present system, baby- 
hood is scarcely passed before the question of sex enters 
into every thought for the future training of the child. 
Perchance, a boy is allowed to romp and play, in the fields, 
garden, streets, or any place where he can find room to 
run and jump, to laugh and shout, to roll and tumble 
with the natural freedom of childhood, but the girl is 
decked out with white dresses and a profusion of ribbons 
from the time she is two or three years of age, and every 
childish impulse of her nature is dampened by being con- 
stantly reminded that she will soil her dress, or that it is 
unladylike to follow the example of her brother. 

This is all wrong. Girls as well as boys require 
a perfect physical development, and in early childhood 
we cannot do better than to allow children to follow their 
own instincts in this direction. It is as natural for a child 
to play as for a lamb to frisk in the field, and this play is 
necessary for the proper physical development of girls 
and boys alike. Then, leave them to play together from 
their earliest childhood, impose no restraints upon one 

that you would not upon the other, let them obey the 

3 i6 



EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. 317 

same hygienic laws regarding food, sleep, exercise and 
clothing, and, above all, do not subject them to school 
discipline too soon. 

The observance of rules herein laid down will insure 
a gradual normal development of all the organs of the body, 
and, when the period of maidenhood arrives, normal func- 
tion will be the outcome of perfect structural development. 
The maiden is then prepared to fit herself for her higher 
duties of life without being held back by any tyranny of 
organization, as explained in the chapter on " Maiden- 
hood." 

EDUCATION 07 CHILDREN. 

It is a mistaken idea that children should be well 
advanced in school before the age of ten, for such ad- 
vancement is sure to be at the expense of their physical 
development. Most of a child's early education results 
from observation. Every new object it sees has special 
interest for it, and every answer given to its childish ques- 
tions forms a part of its education. Thus, while attaining 
a physical development, mental growth goes on through 
the perceptive faculties, and a child often learns more in 
this way than in the school-room. 

When school life begins, there should be more time 
for play than for study, and for this reason a well regulated 
kindergarten, where object teaching and amusements are 
associated, is the best for young children. I would always 
insist on co-education, and, as soon as the children are 
capable of understanding, they should be instructed in 
anatomy and physiology. Let them be thoroughly in- 
formed regarding the structure of their own bodies, the 
functions of their various organs and the hygienic laws 



31 8 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

that will enable them to preserve health and prevent dis- 
ease, and let them enter the lists for a higher education 
side by side. 

Children should not be subjected to rigid routine, and 
for this reason competent teachers should be selected, who, 
from their knowledge of the ways and peculiarities of chil- 
dren, would understand how to direct their fancies and to 
regulate their discipline. A child who has no taste for 
music should never be forced to sit for hours practicing on 
the piano, nor should she be punished for failing to do so. 
It is always best to ascertain the inclinations of the child, 
and then direct its studies accordingly, for in this way 
education aids natural ability and insures the future suc- 
cess of the man or woman. 

It is a great mistake to plan what calling each child 
is to have before it is old enough to choose for itself. Let 
the education be a liberal one, and the proper thing will 
present itself in due time. 

HYGIENE OF CHILDHOOD. 

The hygienic conditions of childhood have not 

received that attention that their importance demands, 

and it is the special duty of the mother to guard these 

formative years of her offspring so that their physical 

organizations may be perfectly developed, and thus 

healthy functions insured. To this end plenty of exercise, 

fresh air, wholesome food, cleanliness, rational modes of 

i dress and proper rest must be insisted on. With these 

i and the moral training before mentioned, the child will 

J certainly have a good foundation laid, that will prove of 

great value in after life. 




MRS. JAMES BROWN POTTER. 



HYGIENE OF CHILDHOOD. 319 

Exercise and Fresh Air. — Healthful exercise is 
best secured in the open air, and, when the weather is fine, 
boys and girls should be out of doors as much as possible. 
When children get up early, a walk before breakfast is 
always desirable, even in cold weather, if they are well 
wrapped up. Walking, running and the usual out-door 
sports of children constitute the best kind of exercise, and, 
when bad weather prevents their going out, they should 
be allowed to romp and tumble about in the house. 
Girls should not be restrained from the rougher sports of 
the boys, but should be encouraged to take part in them 
at all times. 

For in-door exercise a system of home gymnastics 
should be devised, and should be used by children of both 
sexes. The "Goodyear Pocket Gymnasium" is one of 
the simplest devices for home exercise that can be pro- 
cured. It consists of rubber tubes of various sizes, 
arranged with handles. A sheet of illustrations shows 
the various movements, which are many and graceful, and 
which provide for every degree of muscular development. 
A cross-bar fastened in the doorway, at a proper height 
to allow the child to reach it with the hands, will also be 
found advantageous as a swinging exercise. 

Until the body has attained its full growth, such exer- 
cises should be imperative, especially for girls, so as to 
insure perfect motion of all the muscles of the body. The 
importance of such motion is readily explained. Every 
muscular contraction increases the circulation of blood in 
the part, so that a fuller supply of pure blood is carried to 
it, and the impure blood is rapidly removed. This 
increased amount of blood causes the muscles to grow, 
and thus adds to their strength. When exercise is gen- 



320 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

eral, and not too violent, the same result follows in all the 
muscles and organs. Thus general growth is favored by- 
proper exercise, and hence the necessity of providing 
means for securing it for growing children. Under our 
present system, girls are denied the advantages derived 
from systematic exercise, and thus fail to secure the physi- 
cal development essential to perfect health. This is all 
wrong, and the only way to remedy it is to give them the 
same chances for physical exercise as are given to boys. 

FOOD. — The child is an omnivorous animal, and, if 
left to itself, will eat anything it can get its hands on. 
Care must, therefore, be taken to provide such foods as are 
the most wholesome and the most likely to favor growth. 
After the second year more starchy foods are required, 
but still the nitrogenous foods must predominate. 

For breakfast oatmeal porridge and milk, or bread 
and milk, is the best food that can be used. After a time 
soft-boiled eggs, and possibly a small piece of chop or 
steak, may also be given, but this is not necessary till the 
child is seven or eight years old. 

For dinner, nourishing broths, a little beef or mutton 
cut up very fine, roast, boiled or stewed chicken and bread 
and butter should constitute the diet till the seventh or 
eighth year. After that fish, raw oysters, well cooked 
vegetables, light puddings, cooked and raw ripe fruits can 
be added. 

The supper should be much the same as breakfast, 
and should be eaten at least an hour before bed-time. 

The principal meal should be in the middle of the day, 
and regularity of meal-times must be enforced. A child 
should never be allowed to eat between meals, as such 
a habit ruins the digestion in a short time. 



HYGIENE OF CHILDHOOD. 32 1 

The excessive use of potatoes, so commonly fed to 
children, is very injurious, especially before the seventh 
year. If eaten at all, it should be seldom, little at a time, 
and only at dinner. They are not easy to digest, and, being 
composed almost entirely of starch, they ferment, thus 
causing colic and flatulence. Candies are injurious for 
the same reason, and many children suffer greatly from 
indigestion as a consequence of eating confectioneries and 
sugar. It is clear, then, that they should be avoided. 

Tea, coffee, wine and beer should never be used by 
children. After maturity they may be used if required. 
Water or milk should be the only drink. 

Cleanliness and Bathing. — The importance of 
cleanliness cannot be overestimated, and children should 
be early taught to understand the observance of this law 
of health. 

The excretions from the skin, if not removed by fre- 
quent bathings, will soon become uncomfortable to the 
child and offensive to those around it. Till the child is 
seven or eight years of age, it should be put in the bath- 
tub and thoroughly washed every morning. After that the 
child should be taught to bathe itself, and, if it is rugged 
and healthy, it can get into the tub as before every morn- 
ing, and the water should only have the chill taken off. 
The skin is then briskly rubbed with a coarse towel till 
thoroughly dried. 

A morning sponge bath may be used instead of the 
tub bath, in which case one part of the body can be 
washed with a soft sponge and soap — the chill being taken 
off the water — and dried before any other part is wet. 
When the sponge bath is used, a hot water-bath should be 
used about once a week immediately before bed-time. 



322 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Sea bathing is a healthful and invigorating luxury, 
which can be enjoyed during the season by boys and girls 
over eight years without anything but good resulting. 

Care of the Teeth. — The teeth and gums should be 
washed every day from the time the first tooth appears, 
and the child should be early taught to clean them with a 
soft brush night and morning. This will prevent the first 
or temporary teeth from decaying, and thus a good 
permanent set of teeth is insured. 

The permanent teeth come in gradually, and seldom 
occasion much disturbance. If the primary teeth are 
decayed, they should be extracted, and thus the permanent 
ones are saved from the same condition. If a permanent 
tooth appears before the first tooth becomes loose, the 
latter should be extracted at once so as to make room for 
the permanent one. After the permanent teeth come 
through, they must also be cleaned twice a day, and they 
should be frequently examined to ascertain if any of them 
are decaying, and, if so, the tooth should saved by filling 
it early. 

Clothing. — Children should be well protected by 
warm and comfortable clothing, but care should be taken 
not to dress them too warm during the summer months. 
Fine woolen underclothing should be worn next the skin, 
and nothing should be worn at night that has been used 
during the day. 

At the present time boys are dressed so as to afford 
both comfort and health, while all the errors and follies of 
dress have found a place in the dressing of girls and 
women. 

The proper dress for girls should give as much free- 
dom of action as boys enjoy, and therefore nothing should 



HYGIENE OF CHILDHOOD. 323 

be worn around the chest or waist that can make the 
slightest pressure. Corsets should never be used under 
any circumstances, the skirts should not be fastened around 
the waist, and the legs should be well protected. Instead 
of the corset, girls should wear a snugly fitting waist, with- 
out bones, such as is commonly called a corset cover. 
Buttons should be sewed on this waist at proper distances, 
to which the skirts can be fastened, and thus the weight 
of their support is taken from the waist and abdomen, and 
distributed evenly over the shoulders. 

Thick-soled boots and worsted leggings, extending 
from the top of the boot to the upper part of the thigh, 
should be worn to protect the lower extremities in cold 
weather. 

This mode of dress protects from cold, does not cause 
deformities of the chest and displacement of the impor- 
tant organs, and gives perfect freedom of motion, while it 
in no way detracts from the personal appearance. It 
allows for a natural development of the heart, lungs and 
uterus, and prevents displacements of the stomach, liver, 
intestines and ovaries, which always result from constricted 
waists and chests. 

When these errors of dress are corrected, and our 
girls have the same chance of physical development as 
boys, perfect development will be followed by perfect 
function, and woman will be freed from many of the bur- 
dens forced upon her by the false usages of society. 

SLEEP. — Children require a large amount of sleep, 
and under fourteen years of age they should have not less 
than ten hours. They should go to bed early, and rise 
early. 

The child's bed and pillow should be of hair, and 



324 



FACTS FOR LADIES. 



feathers should never be used. It should sleep in a crib 
by itself, and, when there are two or more children, each 
should have a crib of its own. The sleeping-room should 
be well ventilated, but no draft should be allowed to blow 
on the child. 

Until a child is five or six years old it should be 
encouraged to sleep a couple of hours during the day. 
This sleep rests an active child, and also favors its 
growth. 



CHAPTER IX. 

DISEASES OF BABYHOOD AND CHILDHOOD. 

Disorders of Infancy — Congenital Deformities — Diarrhoea — Cholera 
Infantum — Hydrocephalus — Convulsions — Croup — Diphtheria 
— Eruptive Fevers — St. Vitus' Dance — Sore Eyes — Ear-ache 
and Discharges from the Ears — Infantile Leucorrhcea — Phymo- 
sis and Paraphymosis — Scald Head — Itch — Head Lice — 
Worms — Weak Spines and Spinal Deformities. 

Many of the diseases of childhood do not differ from 
those of the adult, and the reader is referred to general 
works on "Family Medicine" for descriptions of them. 
I have only space here for a brief mention of a few of the 
most common disorders of early life, which require prompt 
treatment and careful nursing. 

Those who undertake the care of children, should 
understand that the pulse and respiration are much more 
rapid in childhood than in adult life. At birth the pulse 
beats at the rate of 120 to 150 pulsations to the minute, 
and the respiration varies from 40 to 60; from the first to 
the fifth month, the pulse is, as a rule, 120, and the respira- 
tions 40 per minute; during the first year, the pulse 
varies from 105 to 120, and the respirations from 30 to 40, 
and for several years they range a little below these figures. 
Even at puberty, the pulse is above 75, and the respira- 
tions above 20; while after maturity, the normal pulse 
may average from 70 to 75, while the respirations range 
between 16 and 18 per minute. It sometimes happens, 
however, that the pulse may be unusually slow, in which 

325 






326 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

case the general condition of the patient must be con- 
sidered. 

DISORDERS OF INFANCY. 

Of the simple disorders of infancy which demand the 
attention of the mother the most common are flatulence, 
colic, hiccough, thrush, sprue and constipation. 

Flatulence. — Flatulence is sirnply an accumulation 
of wind in the stomach and bowels, and is not a disease of 
itself, but only a sympton of indigestion. When present, 
the child is restless and uneasy, the stomach and abdomen 
seem distended, and the wind is belched from the stomach 
or passed by the anus. 

Treatment. — To correct the difficulty, proper atten- 
tion should be paid to feeding the child. It should not be 
allowed to distend the stomach by overfeeding, the diet 
of the mother should be regulated if the child is nursing 
and the mother's milk continues to distress the child, 
Camrick's soluble food should be substituted for the 
mother's milk. To correct the fermentation that produces 
the gas or wind, three or four grains of bicarbonate of 
potash dissolved in water should be given three or four 
times a day. To give tone to the stomach use the fol- 
lowing : Tincture of nux vomica, 10 drops; water, 4 
ounces. Mix, and give one teaspoonful every three hours. 
If the tongue is coated or the bowels constipated, the 
following will be found serviceable : Podophyllin, 1 
grain ; sugar of milk, 10 grains. Mix, and divide into 
twenty powders, of which one should be given about four 
times a day. 

Colic. — Colic is properly a neuralgia of the intes- 
tines, though the term is applied to all spasmodic pains 
of the stomach and bowels in infants. It is divided into 



DISORDERS OF INFANCY. 327 

wind colic and bilious colic; the first mentioned being the 
form from which infants suffer so much during the first 
three or four months of life. 

Wind colic is only a symptom of indigestion, and the 
pain is caused by the pressure upon the nerves of the 
intestines by the distention of the bowels with wind. 

A child suffering from colic draws up its legs and 
screams violently, the abdomen is distended and hard, 
the bowels are usually constipated, and, as a rule, pressure 
on the abdomen relieves the pain. In cases where pres- 
sure increases the pain, the tongue will be coated, the 
child is continually cross, the extremities are cold, and 
nausea and vomiting frequently occur. The matter vom- 
ited consists of the undigested contents of the stomach 
mixed with bile, and for this reason the condition is called 
bilious colic. 

Treatment. — For temporary relief, five or ten 
drops of essence of aniseed may be given in about one 
ounce of sweetened catnip tea. To overcome the trouble, 
there is nothing better than a teaspoonful of castor oil. 
As soon as the oil moves the bowels, the treatment rec- 
ommended above for flatulence will be certain to overcome 
the conditions that produce the colic. Opiates and sooth- 
ing sirups should never be given, as they will only injure 
the system without curing the trouble. 

HICCOUGH. — Hiccough is too well known to require 
description. The peculiar noise is produced by inter- 
mittent contractions of the diaphragm and the larynx. It 
frequently attends diseases of the liver and other organs, 
but in young children is most generally a symptom of in- 
digestion. As a rule, it is of short duration, and passes off 
without any attempt at treatment. At times, however, 



328 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

it is quite persistent and becomes a source of annoy- 
ance. 

Treatment. — A dash of cold water in the face will 
frequently stop a paroxysm of hiccough for the time being. 
A teaspoonful of cold water to drink will also do the same. 
A change of position of the child is also desirable, and 
often the hiccough will cease as soon as the child is laid 
on its abdomen across the knees of the nurse. The treat- 
ment recommended for flatulence must be followed to cor- 
rect the indigestion if this symptom recurs frequently. 

Constipation. — Constipation is one of the most 
annoying conditions of infancy, as no child can be com- 
fortable without having regular motions of its bowels. 

Treatment. — When symptoms of indigestion are 
present, that condition must be corrected. If the child 
nurses, the mother must regulate her diet, and take such 
mild medicines as will keep her bowels regular. If a 
child under six months old does not have the bowels 
moved twice a day, something must be done to aid it. 
Rubbing the abdomen with gentle pressure is always ben- 
eficial; and if the constipation is not habitual, an injection 
of about two ounces of tepid water into the rectum with 
a very small-pointed syringe, will secure a good motion. 
The compound sirup of rhubarb and potash in teaspoon- 
ful doses every half-hour till the bowels move, not only 
overcomes the constipation, but corrects any acid condi- 
tion of the stomach. If the tongue is coated, and the 
skin and eyes sallow, podophyllin is the best remedy. 
It is best given in the following combination: Podo- 
phyllin, I grain; powdered nux vomica, I grain; sugar 
of milk. 10 grains. Mix, divide into twelve pow- 
ders, and give one powder three or four times a day 



DISORDERS OF INFANCY. 329 

till the desired effect is produced. To give tone to 
the stomach and bowels, add ten drops of tincture 
of nux vomica to one-half a goblet of water, and of this, 
give a teaspoonful every one or two hours. An occa- 
sional dose of castor oil may sometimes do good, but, if 
given often, it tends to make the constipation worse after 
its action has once been produced. 

Thrush and Sprue. — Thrush is a term applied to 
an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the mouth 
in infants. It is characterized by the appearance of small 
round or oval patches, of a grayish or yellowish white 
color, on the inside of the cheeks and lips, and on the 
roof of the mouth and palate. After two or three days 
the grayish mass is thrown off, leaving a raw or ulcerated 
surface underneath, which takes several days to heal. 
The pain is often severe, there is marked fever present, 
and digestion is impaired. In fact, the condition is only 
present when the stomach and bowels are disordered and 
in feeble and delicate children. 

In some cases air germs, or parasites, are deposited on 
the inflamed surfaces, and form whitish, curd-like masses 
on the tongue, cheeks, lips and palate. When these 
masses are detached they are usually swallowed, and thus 
the disease extends along the entire alimentary canal. 
Now diarrhoea sets in, and the curd-like masses are seen 
in the passages, and the verge of the anus presents the 
same condition as the mouth. No doubt the entire canal 
is affected the same way. This form of the disease is 
commonly called sprue. 

Treatme?it. — When care is taken to clean the child's 
mouth every day, there is little danger of inflammation 
developing. When it does, the mouth should be thor- 



330 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

oughly cleansed at least twice a day with a carbolic acid 
wash, made by adding twenty drops of carbolic acid to a 
gobletful of water. Then the sore parts can be gently 
bathed with a mixture of borax and honey, made by mix- 
ing a dram of powdered borax with a teacupful of strained 
honey. If the stomach is out of order, that must be cor- 
rected as heretofore directed. This is all the treatment 
required for a simple case of thrush. 

If the sprue has developed, the alimentary canal should 
first be cleansed with a teaspoonful of castor oil. If this 
does not move the bowels in two hours the dose should be 
repeated. Then one drop of carbolic acid in a little gly- 
cerine and water should be given internally, and repeated 
three or four times a day. All food should be withheld for 
at least twenty-four hours, and instead the child should 
drink freely of hot catnip tea, to each ounce of which 
should be added about five grains of chlorate of potash and 
five drops of fluid hydrastis. The anus should be washed 
with the carbolic wash above mentioned. Should the 
child be feeble and sickly, and this treatment fail to give 
relief, a physician should be consulted. 

CONGENITAL DEFORMITIES. 

Children are frequently born with some kind of 
deformity, such as hare-lip, cleft palate, redundant fingers 
or toes, club-feet, adhesion of the eyelids, and red marks 
on the face, and parents, sometimes through ignorance 
and sometimes through the advice of physicians who have 
had no experience with such cases, often allow them to 
remain for years before any attempt is made to correct 
them. 



DIARRHCEA. 331 

Whenever any of these deformities are recognized at 
birth, an experienced surgeon should be consulted with- 
out delay, and his advice followed. 

As a rule, cleft palate and hare-lip can be most suc- 
cessfully operated on at the age of four or five years ; 
redundant fingers and toes should be removed after a few 
months ; all deformities of the feet should be corrected 
before the child begins to walk ; adhesions of the eyelids 
should be corrected immediately after birth, and moles and 
discolorations of the skin should be removed, if possible, 
before the blood-vessels become enlarged. 

All of these deformities can be overcome by proper 
treatment, but parents should be careful not to trust such 
cases with inexperienced physicians. They belong to the 
domain of surgery, and no absurd prejudice against the 
use of the knife should deter them from making the attempt 
to have such deformities corrected in their children. 

DIARRHOEA. 

Diarrhoea is of frequent occurrence with children of 
all ages. It may be so slight as to constitute a simple 
looseness of the bowels for a day, or so severe as to seri- 
ously prostrate the child in a few hours. It often results 
from cold, but derangement of digestion is by far the most 
common cause. The ordinary diarrhoea of childhood is 
almost invariably due to some error of diet, in which a 
mechanical irritation is produced by some undigested food. 
During the first two years of life a simple diarrhoea often 
runs into a pronounced cholera infantum or summer com- 
plaint. 

If an infant has more than three passages a day, or a 
child over three years has more than two passages, some 
attention should be given to the fact. 



332 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Treatment. — If we have any reason to believe that 
the child has eaten something that has not digested, a dose 
of castor oil is about the best thing that can be given. It 
removes the irritating mass, and allays the irritation already 
begun, and thus, as a rule, the trouble is at once over- 
come. 

If the diarrhoea continues, and the passages are green 
and curdled, the compound sirup of rhubarb and potash 
should be given in half-teaspoonful doses three times a 
day to children under two years old, and to those over 
that age a teaspoonful can be given, and this should be 
continued till the character of the passages is changed. 
If the tongue is coated with a whitish fur, five grains of 
bicarbonate of soda should be given in a little water, and 
repeated every few hours till the apparance of the tongue 
changes, and, if the tongue is red, a drop of dilute muriatic 
acid, largely diluted in water, should be given every two 
hours. 

If the child is weak, put ten drops of tincture of nux 
vomica into half a goblet of water, and give one teaspoon- 
ful from the goblet every hour. 

If considerable pain and tenesmus are present, from 
five to fifteen drops of paregoric may be given, but it 
should not be repeated more than once or twice without 
the advice of a physician. 

CHOLERA INFANTUM. 

Cholera infantum, or summer complaint, is an acute 
inflammation of the stomach and intestines occurring in 
infancy. It usually begins with a loosening of the bowels,, 
which, after several days, may be followed by vomiting, 
with more or less febrile excitement. In some cases the 



CHOLERA INFANTUM. 333 

infant is irritable, restless and feverish for several days 
before the diarrhoea sets in ; while at other times vomiting 
and purging come on suddenly, without any premonitory 
symptoms. The stools soon become watery, though 
they often contain curds or particles of undigested food, 
and they present a greenish or greenish yellow color. 
Pain accompanies each action, and there is tenderness on 
pressure of the abdomen. Vomiting occurs with every 
attempt to take food ; and, in a few hours, the eyes become 
sunken and partially closed, the face pallid, the skin hot 
and dry, the pulse rapid, the mind torpid, the body much 
wasted, and the child lies in a stupor. 

This disease usually occurs about the time when 
people begin to feed infants with pther than mother's 
milk, and may properly be considered as resulting from 
errors in infant feeding. The common practice of feeding 
infants potatoes, bread, rice and other starchy food, before 
the child's stomach and intestines are capable of digest- 
ing them, are among the most common causes of the 
disease; while bad ventilation, imperfect drainage, and 
the intense heat of crowded cities are prominent factors 
in its development. These conditions are often present 
during the teething period, and consequently many have 
come to look upon the disease as a necessary sequence of 
cutting teeth. This is a mistake, however, as the teething 
and cholera infantum are both incidental to the same 
period of life, and in fact have no other connection. 

Treatment. — Attention to the diet and the hygienic 
conditions of the child are the first things to be looked to 
in the treatment of this disease. If the child is nursing, all 
other food should be withheld. If not, Carnrick's Soluble 
Food, and nothing else, should be used, especially during 



334 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

the heated summer term. With this food, it is a rare thing 
to meet a case of cholera infantum. 

The thirst may be allayed by putting small pieces of 
ice in the child's mouth from time to time; and bathing 
the surface of the body with a cold sponge-bath two or 
three times a day will diminish the fever, and prove 
extremely grateful to the child. Pure air is very essential, 
and must be secured by thorough ventilation. City chil- 
dren should, if possible, be removed to the country as 
soon as any symptoms of the disease show themselves, 
and this change often arrests the disease in its first stages. 

In giving medicines the old chaik-mixtures and prep- 
arations of opium must be discarded. Instead, aconite 
and ipecac, given in small alternated doses, will prove of 
great benefit. For convenience, take two goblets, each 
containing eight tablespoonfuls of water. In one of these 
put six drops tincture of aconite root, and, in the other, ten 
drops of tincture of ipecac. Give a teaspoonful from one 
glass on the even hour, and fifteen minutes afterward a 
teaspoonful from the other, and continue giving them 
alternately with the fifteen-minutes intervals till the 
fever subsides and the nausea diminishes. Then extend the 
interval to half an hour. If the face is pale and the child 
generally prostrated, five drops of tincture nux vomica 
should be added to the ipecac. If there is marked irrita- 
tion of the brain, with great heat in the back of the head, 
and a constant rolling of the head from side to side, ten 
drops oi tincture gelsemium should be put into eight table- 
spoonfuls of water, and, of this, a teaspoonful should be 
given every half-hour till these symptoms are relieved. 

Compound sirup of rhubarb and potash, given in tea- 
spoonful doses every hour or two, in the early stage, will 




ADA REHAN. 



convulsions. 335 

change the character of the passages, and cut short the 
disease. 

If this treatment does not control the disorder, a phy- 
sician should be called, but in none but the most extreme 
cases should opiates in any form be administered, and 
the physician who adheres to such practice is not to be 

trusted. 

HYDROCEPHALUS. 

Hydrocephalus, commonly called water on the brain, 
isaname applied to inflammation of the membranes of the 
brain in infancy and early childhood, which is character- 
ized by a watery effusion which separates the bones of the 
skull and gives the head an abnormal and enlarged ap- 
pearance. It is sometimes developed as a sequence of 
cholera infantum, but often shows itself as an independent 
disorder. When a child lives through the disease, the 
head remains unusually large and deformed. 

When such a condition shows itself a physician should 
always be sent for at once. 

CONVULSIONS. 

Convulsions are frequently met with during all periods 
of infancy and childhood, and some forms occur in all 
periods of life. They are due to structural lesions of the 
brain and spinal cord, or to the irritation of some organ 
or part of the body, which is carried to the spinal cord by 
connecting spinal nerves. Irritation of the stomach and 
bowels from any cause, inflammation of internal organs, 
and diseases and injuries of the surfaces of the body, may 
give rise to convulsions. 

Treatment. — In most cases of convulsions a hot foot- 
bath, and clothes wrung out of hot mustard-water, should 



336 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

be used, and a physician sent for at once. If the child 
has teeth, something soft should be placed between them, 
to prevent biting the tongue and cheeks. The physician 
should be given a full account of the actions and diet of 
the child, so as to be able to determine the cause of the 
convulsions. This is necessary to enable him to decide 
on the proper treatment to adopt. 

CROUP. 

Croup is so well known to mothers as to require no 
special description. It is an inflammation of the mucous 
membrane of the larynx, which is accompanied by a 
peculiar hoarse, spasmodic cough, which can never be 
mistaken after it is once heard. 

There are three forms of the disease, called, respect- 
ively, mucous, membranous and spasmodic croup. 

Mucous croup is the common form of the disease 
which comes on suddenly during the night, and which 
recurs frequently in croupy children. It sometimes 
assumes a spasmodic form, in which a paroxysm comes on 
suddenly, lasts for a few minutes, and then stops for a 
time, but, after an intermission of variable duration, again 
recurs. These paroxysms may continue to recur for 
several hours, and then disappear. Membranous crop is 
happily rare, for it is a very serious disease. A dense 
membrane forms in the larynx, which soon completely 
stops the passage of air into the lungs, and death must 
result. 

Treatment. — The first attack of croup should never 
be neglected. No one can tell how serious it may prove, 
and for that reason a physician should be sent for as soon 
as the peculiar cough and breathing are recognized. 



DIPHTHERIA. 337 

Children who are subject to croup can always be greatly 
relieved by the following, which should be kept in the 
house for use as soon as the first symptom shows itself: 
Tincture aconite root, 5 drops; sirup lobelia and simple 
sirup, of each, 2 ounces; mix, and give from one-half to 
one teaspoonful every fifteen or twenty minutes till nausea 
or even vomiting is produced. A child between two and 
three years of age should take half a teaspoonful, while 
a teaspoonful should be given to one over three. Inhala- 
tion of the steam of hot vinegar will also give relief in a 
few minutes in many cases. Great benefit is also derived 
from rubbing the throat well, three or four times a day, 
with the following liniment: oil of stillingia J^ ounce; oil 
of cajeput, 2 drams; oil of lobelia, 2 drams; alcohol, 3 
ounces. This should be kept in the house for use as soon 
as the first croupy symptoms show themselves. 

In cases of membranous croup, the physician often 
deems it advisable to perform the operation of tracheot- 
omy, and, as this is often the only hope to save the life 
of the child, the parents should give their consent at once, 
as no time is to be lost in performing the operation. 

DIPHTHERIA. 

Diphtheria is a specific blood disease, which owes its 
origin to microbes, or disease germs. It is contagious, 
and often prevails as an extensive epidemic, though it is 
most frequently endemic in character, arising from imper- 
fect sewerage and drainage. 

For three or four days the patient is dull, languid and 
fretful; the appetite is impaired, and there is a great desire 
for drink. Then a feeling of chilliness, or a decided chill 
is felt, followed by headache, backache, and severe pain 



33^ FACTS FOR LADIES. 

in the muscles. These symptoms are followed by fever, 
which is well developed before any soreness of the throat 
is felt, which even then is not severe. An examination 
of the throat now shows inflamed patches, or it may even 
be covered with an ashen-gray exudation. This condition 
of the throat spreads rapidly, and sometimes fills up the 
air passages, like membranous croup, and causes death by 
strangulation. In other cases death results from exhaus- 
tion. 

When severe pain is felt in the throat as the first 
symptom, the disease is some other form of ulceration, 
and not diphtheria, for in true diphtheria the exudation is 
present before any severe pain is developed. 

Treatment. — As soon as the exudation is recognized, 
the throat should be thoroughly swabbed out with car- 
bolic acid and glycerine, 10 drops of the former to an 
ounce of the latter. Then the raw surfaces should be 
touched with the end of a pine stick saturated in pure 
carbolic acid. This burns the surface of the ulcers, and 
destroys the microbes, and thus prevents the further 
spread of the disease. This application must be carefully 
made so as not to touch healthy parts with the acid. 

To control the fever and help the elimination of the 
poison, the following should be given: Tincture veratrum 
Viride {Norwood's), 15 drops; water, 4 ounces. Mix, and 
give 3^ teaspoonful every half-hour to children under 
three years of age, and a teaspoonful every half-hour to 
those over three. This should be continued until the 
skin becomes moist, or slight nausea is produced. The 
throat must be swabbed out at least twice a day with the 
carbolic acid and glycerine until it looks clean. This 
treatment will relieve the w r orst symptoms in a few days. 



ERUPTIVE FEVERS. 339 

After the fever has subsided one drop of tincture of nux 

vomica may be given to a child under five years of age, 

every three hours, and from two to three drops to a child 

over five years. This gives tone to the nervous system 

after the prostration of the disease. 

A physician should always direct the treatment of 

diphtheria, so as to be able to meet any complications that 

may arise. 

ERUPTIVE FEVERS. 

Eruptive fevers constitute a class of fevers caused by 
certain specific contagion, and attended with cutaneous 
eruptions. They are all contagious, and occur either as 
widespread epidemics or as endemics. It is claimed that 
one attack of these fevers gives immunity against a second. 
That this seems to be the rule we cannot but acknowledge, 
yet there are many exceptions to it, as people frequently 
have these diseases more than once. Of these fevers 
measles and scarlet fever are particularly diseases of 
childhood, while vaccination causes a fever which requires 
a passing notice. 

Measles. — Measles is the most common of the 
eruptive fevers of childhood. It is contagious, and runs 
its course in about two weeks. It comes on a week or ten 
days after exposure, and a feeling of languor and depres- 
sion is first felt for three or four days. This is followed 
by a chill and fever, with intense pain in the back and head. 
Redness and watering of the eyes and obstruction of the 
nose, or increased secretion of the nose with sneezing, are 
also common symptoms of the disease. 

The eruption shows itself about the second or third 
day after the fever sets in, and first appears on the face, 
neck and breast, and finally on the trunk and extremities. 



340 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

From one to three days are necessary for the eruption to 
fully appear, when it remains red for a couple of days, and 
then gradually disappears, and is entirely gone by the ninth 
day. The eruption is irregularly oval in shape, of red 
color, raised above the surrounding skin, and is rough to 
the feel. The fever subsides after the eruption is well out. 

Treatment. — Little treatment is required in measles, 
as a rule. It is necessary to prevent the patients from 
taking cold, by keeping them in bed, and well covered. 
Hot drinks should be freely given to promote the coming 
out of the eruption, and a tepid sponge-bath should be 
given twice a day, and a foot-bath in the evening. If 
the fever is severe, the following should be given: Tincture 
veratrum viride, 10 drops ; water, 4 ounces. Mix, 
and give a teaspoonful every hour till the skin becomes 
moist, or nausea is produced. 

In severe forms of the disease, a physician must be 
called. 

SCARLET FEVER. — Scarlet fever is an acute, infectious 
disease, which shows itself by a chill six or eight days 
after exposure. After the chill the skin is hot and dry, 
and the throat feels dry and burning. The eruption shows 
itself in from twelve to thirty-six hours after the fever 
begins, and first makes it appearance on the neck and 
upper part of the chest, and within a few hours it spreads 
over the entire body. The whole surface becomes of an 
intense scarlet color. The throat is generally inflamed 
and sore, and, in severe cases, the throat symptoms 
assume serious proportions. 

Treatment. — The same general management as 
recommended for measles should be followed, but a 
physician should always be called to treat the case. 



CHOREA, OR ST. VITUS' DANCE. 341 

VACCINATION. — I only speak of vaccination here to 
condemn it. Though so universallypracticed, the leading 
men of Europe and America are beginning to acknowledge 
that it never protected against small-pox, while it has 
brought death and suffering to thousands of innocent and 
helpless children. Parents should study this subject 
before subjecting their children to the old fetich of 
vaccination.* 

Small-Pox. — Small-pox rarely occurs except as an 

epidemic, and then children usually suffer terribly from its 

ravages. Strict isolation and proper hygienic conditions 

are the only scientific means of prevention, and the 

treatment must be intrusted to physicians and skilled 

nurses. 

CHOREA, OR ST. VITUS' DANCE. 

Chorea, or St. Vitus' dance, is essentially a disease of 
childhood, just prior to the age of puberty, which is marked 
by the loss of control over the voluntary muscles, and by 
irregular spasmodic muscular action. Disorders of diges- 
tion, diseases of the heart, intestinal worms, homesickness, 
and general debility from previous disease may give rise 
to it. 

The most pronounced symptoms are continual and 
unconscious movement of the hands and feet, sudden jerk- 
ing of the arms and legs, difficult and jerky breathing, 
swollen face, tenderness over the spine and irregular heart 
action ; while in protracted cases irritability, loss of mem- 
ory and mental dullness come on. 

Treatment. — Entire freedom from excitement is the 

* For information the reader is referred to " Vaccination — Its Fallacies and 
Evils," by Robert A. Gunn, M. D., New York; and Encyclopedia Britannica, 
ninth edition ; article, "Vaccination." 



342 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

first consideration in the treatment of this disorder. 
Absolute rest in bed in a darkened room should be insisted 
on for a time. Milk, beef tea, soft boiled eggs, clam 
broth and raw oysters should constitute the diet, and good 
ventilation should be secured. The bowels should be 
kept regular, as advised in the treatment of constipation, 
and, when the patient is pale and weak, the elixir calisaya, 
iron and strychnine should be given in teaspoonful doses 
after each meal. 

To control the spasm, the following should be given: 
Tincture gelsemium, 2 drams; tincture of black cohosh, 4 
drams; Fowler's solution of arsenic, 30 drops; water, enough 
to make 4 ounces. Mix, and give a teaspoonful every 
three or four hours. The gelsemium must be left out of 
this mixture as soon as the twitchings subside, and the 
other ingredients should be taken as before. 

In some cases, of both boys and girls, an irritation of 
the genital organs gives rise to the disorder, and this should 
never be lost sight of in examining a case, as an operation 
may be required to cure such cases. 

SORE EYES. 

Sore eyes may come on a few days after birth, either 
from carelessness in not cleansing them, or from poisonous 
inoculation from the mother at birth. They may also 
develop at any time during infancy from catching cold or 
improper bathing. Scarlet fever, measles, and small-pox 
often leave children with sore eyes, and they are liable at 
any time to accidents that seriously injure the eyes. 

No matter how slight an inflammation or trouble of 
the eyes in a child, it should never be neglected, as such 
troubles too often destroy the sight; nor should severe cases 



EAR-ACHE. 343 

be intrusted to the general practitioner. An oculist or some 
good surgeon should be consulted at the earliest possible 
moment, and the treatment should be regularly continued 
till the eyes are restored to their normal condition. 

EAR-ACHE AXD DISCHARGES FROM THE EARS. 

Ear-ache frequently occurs among children of all 
ages, and it may be produced by a variety of causes. 
Cold, the irritation of teething, foreign substances in the 
ears, and the inflammation incident to measles and scarlet 
fever are among the most common causes. Even in young 
babes the restlessness of the child, the constant motion of 
the head and the disposition to rub the ear, clearly point 
to the ear as the seat of the pain. 

Discharges from the ear frequently follow ear-ache, 
and, when present, they indicate that an abscess has formed 
and broke, or that a condition of ulceration of some of 
the structures of the ear has developed. In either case 
neglect to have the ears properly cared for without delay, 
often results in total deafness. This is particularly true in 
cases resulting as a sequence of scarlet fever, or measles. 

Treatment. — As soon as a pain in the ear is recog- 
nized, the ear should be syringed with water that feels 
quite warm to the finger. This will remove any foreign 
body or accumulation of wax that may be lodged there, 
and the heat will ease the pain. A little bag of hot salt 
held against the ear will also prove serviceable. If these 
means fail to give relief, heat a little laudanum in a tea- 
spoon, and, when it feels warm to the finger, drop fifteen or 
twenty drops into the ear, and then fill the orifice with 
absorbent cotton. If this still fails to give relief, a physi- 
cian must be consulted. 



344 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

In no case of discharge from the ear should a child be 
allowed to go without proper surgical treatment, and this 
should be continued till the ear is restored to its normal 
condition. Thousands of deaf mutes owe their affliction 
to neglect of disorders of the ear during infancy, in which 
the deafness results from a destruction of the mechanism 
of the ear by inflammation and ulceration that might have 
been prevented by skillful treatment. 

INFANTILE LEUCORRHCEA. 

Girls from one to twelve years of age frequently 
suffer from a slight discharge from the vulva, and some- 
times the discharge is excessive and an active inflamma- 
tion is present. It may result from neglect in properly 
cleaning the parts while bathing the child, exposure to 
cold, or from an acrid condition of the urine. It often 
occasions great suffering for a considerable time before it 
is discovered. 

Treatment. — If the urine smells strong and the sur- 
rounding parts are chapped, two or three grains of bicar- 
bonate of potash should be given in a little water three or 
four times a day. The parts should be thoroughly cleansed, 
and then bathed with a carbolic acid wash, of the strength 
of 20 drops of carbolic acid to a gobletful of tepid 
water. If the discharge comes from inside the vagina the 
following should be used: Fluid hydrastis, I dram; tepid 
water, 8 ounces. Mix, and inject gently into the vagina 
with a small-nozzled bulb syringe. The entire quantity 
should be used at once, and repeated two or three times a 
day. 

PHIMOSIS AND PARAPHIMOSIS. 
Male infants often suffer much annoyance from an 
unusually long prepuce or foreskin. When it cannot be 



SCALD-HEAD. 345 

drawn back so as to expose the glans penis, or head of 
the penis, it frequently becomes the seat of inflamma- 
tion, and the condition is called phimosis. In some cases 
it may be drawn back with difficulty, but cannot be drawn 
forward again. In this condition the parts become 
inflamed, and the head of the penis is constricted and 
becomes very painful. These conditions render the child 
uncomfortable and fretful, and sometimes gives rise to 
marasmus, or a general wasting of the body. The condi- 
tion of phimosis often renders urination difficult, and 
makes the child very irritable and restless. 

Treatment. — The prepuce should be examined by the 
physician soon after birth, and, if the child has any trouble 
in making water, the nurse should be instructed how to 
draw the foreskin back so as to cleanse the g/ans penis. 
If this can't be done, and any signs of inflammation are 
present, it is always advisable to perform the operation of 
circumcision. This not only relieves the child, but saves 
him much trouble in after life. 

SCALD-HEAD. 

Scald-head is a disease of the scalp caused by the 
presence of parasites. It is contagious, and is often com- 
municated from one child to another in school. It devel- 
ops a pale yellow crust which forms in patches or may 
extend over the entire scalp. It is usually due to the lack 
of proper cleansing of the scalp, but most frequently 
attacks puny and delicate children. 

Treatment. — The first thing to be done is to cut the 
hair as close as possible. Then a lage flaxseed meal 
poultice should be applied, as hot as can be borne, over 
the entire scalp, and removed every hour or two till the 



34^ FACTS FOR LADIES. 

crusts are all loosened. They should then be carefully 

removed, and the following ointment should be applied to 

the raw surfaces : Salicylic acid, 10 grains ; vaseline, I 

ounce. Mix, and apply to the scalp two or three times a 

day. The scalp should be washed every night and 

morning with twenty drops of carbolic acid dissolved in a 

goblet of tepid water. If the scales begin to form again 

the poultice should be again used. 

In feeble children ten drops of dialyzed iron should 

be given in a mouthful of water three or four times a 

day. 

SCABIES, OR ITCH. 

Itch is a parasitic disease, which usually makes its 
appearance between the fingers and on the wrists, in the 
form of little blisters containing a clear fluid. Intense 
itching is always present, and scratching always aggravates 
this symptom. The disease is often communicated from 
one child to another in school and at play. 

Treatment. — The object of treatment in this disease 
is to destroy the parasite. This is best done with 95 per 
cent, carbolic acid in the following manner: Take the 
plain end of a match, or any small piece of pine, and sat- 
urate it in pure carbolic acid. Then break the blister and 
press the end of the match into the center of the blister. 
By repeating this with each blister the parasite will certainly 
be destroyed. After this, the following will almost inva- 
riably effect a cure: Acid salicylic, 20 grains; vaseline, I 
ounce. Mix, and apply two or three times a day. 

HEAD LICE. 

Head lice are commonly found in the heads of chil- 
dren while attending school, no matter how much care is 
taken with the child at home. 



worms. 347 

Treatment. — The lice should be removed as thor- 
oughly as possible with a fine-toothed comb, and then the 
head bathed with an infusion of larkspur seeds. To make 
this infusion take one ounce of powdered larkspur seeds, and 
pour on it a pint of boiling water. Cover the vessel in 
which it is made, and allow it to stand till it becomes 
tepid. If the hair and scalp are once thoroughly washed 
with this preparation, a single treatment is all that is ne- 
cessary to destroy the lice. In some cases it may be 
necessary to repeat the treatment two or three times. 

WORMS. 

Various kinds of parasites are found in the intestinal 
canal, but the most common among children are the 
round or stomach worms, and thread or pin worms. 
A child who has stomach worms has a ravenous appetite 
at one time, and has no desire for food at another ; the 
abdomen is distended ; colicky pains are felt about the 
navel ; there is an itching of the nose and anus ; sleep is 
disturbed by unpleasant dreams and grinding of the teeth; 
the breath has a peculiar fetid odor ; diarrhoea is often 
present with mucus and blood mixed with the stool ; the 
face is drawn, dark lines appear under the eyes, and the 
child becomes greatly emaciated in spite of a usually good 
appetite. Sometimes an examination of the stool will 
lead to finding that worms have been passed. 

Pin-worms are small, not being more than from a 
quarter to half an inch in length. They are usually 
located in the rectum and in the folds at the verge 
of the anus. There is a severe itching and pain of the 
rectum and around the anus, which is usually followed by 
tenesmus, or spasmodic action of the muscles of the 



348 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

rectum. The bowels are relaxed, and the stool fetid, and 
a careful examination will result in finding these worms 
around the verge of the anus. In girls they often crawl 
into the vagina, and gave rise to leucorrhcea. 

Treatment. — The child should fast for about twelve 
hours, and then the following should be given: Santo- 
nine, 5 grains; powdered sugar, i teaspoonful. Rub 
together thoroughly, and give the entire quantity at bed- 
time, after fasting. A full dose of castor oil should be 
given the next morning before breakfast, and usually the 
worms are expelled as soon as the oil operates. If not, 
the dose may be repeated several days in succession. 

For pin-worms, in addition to the above, 15 drops 
of carbolic acid should be added to a goblet of tepid 
water, and the whole quantity injected into the rectum 
after the oil has acted, and the parts adjacent to the anus 
should be bathed with the same carbolic wash. 

WEAK SPINES AND SPINAL DEFORMITIES. 

Children who lack physical development often have a 
feeling of weakness of the muscles of the back, and a 
desire for support, which soon results inthe habit of sink- 
ing down while sitting, so as to cause a roundness of the 
back or leaning to one side. Children who sit sideways 
at school with one arm resting on the slanting desk, also 
develop a tendency to weak spines and curvatures. If 
these conditions continue, serious deformity must develop, 
and thus impair the health, as well as make the sufferer 
an object of pity through his deformities. 

Spinal deformities may be either in the form of 
lateral curvature or posterior curvature. The first is 
caused by weak spines and assuming unnatural positions 



WEAK SPINES AND SPINAL DEFORMITIES. 349 

during the development of the bones and muscles; while 
the last is caused by direct local injury, or a bad condition 
of the system. 

As soon as the slightest deformity is recognized, or 
if a child shows a desire to support the head with his 
hands, or catches the articles of furniture to lean on, and 
thus relieve the pressure on the spine, a surgeon who has 
had experience in such cases should be consulted. 
The Plaster-of-Paris jacket is the only method of treat- 
ment that can be relied upon in such cases, and the 
sooner it is applied the better it will be. The treatment 
usually extends over a period of years, but, in the end, 
the deformity is entirely cured. 



I 



CHAPTER X. 

DISEASES OF WOMEN. 

Diseases of the Vulva and Vagina — Inflammation and Ulceration of 
the Womb — Leucorrhcea — Displacements of the Womb — 
Tumors of the Womb — Diseases of the Ovaries — Cancer — 
Hysteria. 

The structural and functional differences of the sexes 
render each liable to. special diseases, which require to 
be separately considered. Those peculiar to women have 
received a large share of attention, and much injury has 
been done by ignorant physicians undertaking to treat 
female diseases. It is, therefore, very important, that 
women should make themselves sufficiently familiar with 
the symptoms of the various diseases to which they are 
specially liable, to enable them to know something of their 
own condition and the treatment necessary for their relief. 
This knowledge would often save them from the imposi- 
tion and ignorance of self-styled specialists, and always 
enable them to avert the evil consequences that are sure 
to follow neglect of proper treatment at the outset of the 
trouble. As but few of these diseases can be treated at 
home, I shall only consider each subject in brief, and 
point out such leading facts and symptoms, as will prove 
of the greatest benefit to the women of every household. 

In studying these subjects the reader will find it a 
great advantage to refer to Chapter L, when at a loss to 
understand the exact nature and location of the disease 
under discussion. 

350 




A STUDY. 



DISEASES OF THE VULVA AND VAGINA. 35 1 

The vulva, or external organs of generation, may be 
the seat of inflammation, tumors and deformities of various 
kinds; while the vagina, or canal leading to the womb, 
may be similarly affected, The most common of these 
disorders are inflammation, ulceration, abscess and tumors 
of the vulva ; occlusion of the vulva ; tumors of the uri- 
nary passage ; hypertrophied clitoris ; and itching of the 
vulva ; inflammation, ulceration and occlusion of the 
vagina ; and vaginismus. 

Inflammation of The Vulva. — The female exter- 
nal generative organs are liable to inflammation the same 
as any other part of the body. It may result from cold, 
or from inflammation of the vagina extending outward to 
the vulva. The parts are hot, painful and swollen, and some- 
times there may be a discharge from the mucous surfaces. 

When the inflammation is severe, sometimes the mu- 
cous membrane is destroyed, thus leaving a small raw sore, 
which often spreads rapidly and eats into the underlying 
tissue. This condition is called an ulcer, and is always a 
sequence of inflammation. Sometimes there is a deep- 
seated, beating, throbbing pain on the lips of the vulva, 
which continues for a few days. An examination will 
show a hard lump at the seat of the pain, which gradually 
softens, and finally comes to the surface, breaks and dis- 
charges matter or pus. This condition is another sequence 
of inflammation, and is called an abscess. 

Treatment. — In ordinary inflammation hot applica- 
tions should be made to the part, a bag of hops wrung 
out of hot water being the best, and the surface should be 
freely bathed with the following wash: Fluid hydrastis, 
1^ ounce; laudanum, y 2 ounce; hot water, 1 pint. Mix, 
and apply to the part every hour or two. 



352 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

If there is an ulcer present, it should be dried with a 
piece of absorbent cotton, and touched with a small piece 
of pine stick saturated in pure carbolic acid. As soon as 
the surface touched turns white, apply the cotton again to 
prevent the acid from spreading. Then apply the follow- 
ing ointment: Salicylic acid, 10 grains; vaseline, I ounce. 
Mix, and apply to the sore two or three times a day. A 
piece of absorbent cotton should be applied over the oint- 
ment, and the patient should keep the recumbent position 
till the ulcer heals. If there is any reason to suspect a 
venereal ulcer, a physician should be consulted. 

In case of the deep-seated throbbing pain being felt, 
a physician should be called at once, and he should be al- 
lowed to open into the hard lump with a knife. This 
stops the pain and aborts the abscess, thus saving much 
suffering and destruction of tissue. 

Tumors of the Vulva. — Small tumors are often dis- 
covered on either side of the orifice of the vulva, imbedded 
in the greater lips. They may be simple and occasion no 
inconvenience, or they may be attended with pain, and 
obstruct the entrance to the vagina. In any case, when 
such tumors are discovered, a surgeon should be consulted, 
and the tumor should be removed, for we can never know 
how soon it may occasion serious trouble. 

Occlusion of the Vulva. — Sometimes the edges 
of the vulva are grown together at birth, so as to com- 
pletely occlude the opening into the vagina. This should 
be rectified at once by the attending physician. Some- 
times, however, the closure is only partial, and may escape 
notice till puberty, even till marriage, when it is found that 
the marital act cannot be accomplished. 

When such a condition is discovered, a competent 



DISEASES OF THE VULVA AND VAGINA. 353 

surgeon should be consulted at once, as it can be fully- 
corrected by the proper operation. 

Tumors of the Urinary Passage. — The orifice 
of the vagina is sometimes very sensitive to the touch, 
and there is a frequent desire to urinate, with severe pain 
attending the passage of the urine. These symptoms 
indicate an irritation of the orifice of the urethra, and a 
careful examination will reveal the presence of one or 
more little growths in the meatus, commonly called 
caruncles. 

When these growths are present no treatment but 
their removal will afford the slightest relief, and this should 
be done as soon as possible, to prevent an inflammation 
extending along the urethra into the bladder. 

Hypertrophied Clitoris. — The clitoris in some 
women is extremely long, and is liable to erections similar 
to those of the male organ. This condition sometimes 
gives rise to the idea of double sex. When a source 
of annoyance a surgeon should be consulted. 

Itching of the Vulva. — An intolerable itching 
is experienced around the external organs of generation, 
sometimes as a result of disease of the vagina, womb, 
rectum or bladder, and sometimes during pregnancy. 
The itching is increased by warmth, and by the use of 
stimulants, and is often worse at night than any other 
time. Sometimes there is no local evidence of irritation, 
while, again, little pimples or a redness of the skin may be 
seen. 

Treatment. — Frequent bathing of the part with a 
strong borax water is always desirable, but the condition 
of the surrounding organs must be looked to to effect a 
cure of the trouble. A solution of a teaspoonful of car- 



354 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

bolic acid to half a pint of water, used as a wash five or 
six times a day, will always afford relief till the conditions 
causing it can be reached. 

Inflammation of the Vagina. — Inflammation of 
the vagina may be brought on by exposure to cold, injury 
from the use of improper pessaries, the use of astringent 
or cold injections to prevent conception, lack of cleanli- 
ness, childbirth, sexual abuse and specific venereal poison. 

The symptoms are itching in the vagina, followed by 
great heat and burning, a frequent desire to urinate, with 
a sensation of scalding when the urine is passed, an aching 
and dragging of the vagina and around the anus, pain in 
the pelvis and lower part of the back, a free discharge of 
yellowish matter, and excoriation of the external parts 
from contact with the acrid discharges. 

Treatment. — The patient should keep in bed, and 
apply hot fomentations of hops on the vulva and lower 
part of the abdomen, and change them as soon as they 
begin to cool. A quart of hot water should be used with 
a fountain syringe to wash out the bladder every three 
hours, and, if the pain is severe, an ounce of laudanum 
may be mixed with the water each time. The patient 
should be kept on her back in the recumbent posture, and 
a bed-pan used. When the acute symptons have sub- 
sided, the following will be found of great service : 
Acetate of lead and sulphate of zinc, of each, 3 drams; 
tincture of catechu and laudanum, of each, 1 ounce ; water, 
enough to make 6 ounces. Mix, shake well before using, 
and put two teaspoonfuls into half a pint of tepid water, 
and use as an injection. Repeat the injection three or 
four times a day. 

If the patient is irritable, and suffering much pain, 






DISEASES OF THE VULVA AND VAGINA. 355 

five drops of the tincture of gelsemium may be given every 
half-hour till relieved, but only six or eight doses should 
be given at the half-hour intervals. The bowels should 
be kept regular by taking one compound podophyllin pill 
at bed-time, as required. Sometimes an ounce of castor 
oil will answer better. 

If there is any reason to suspect that the inflamma- 
tion is caused by a specific poison communicated by the 
male, a physician should be consulted. 

Ulceration of the Vagina. — Sometimes an 
inflammation of the vagina results in the formation of 
one or more ulcers or sores, which have a great tendency 
to spread, and occasion much suffering. In such cases 
treatment directly to the ulcerated surface is necessary, 
and this can only be done by the physician. 

Occlusion of the Vagina. — The vagina is some- 
times found with a band or partition stretching across the 
entrance or along its canal, with only a small opening 
through it. This is rarely discovered till after marriage, 
and then it is supposed that the woman has some defect 
that cannot be corrected. This is a great mistake. When 
such a condition is discovered, a surgeon can almost inva- 
riably remedy it by an operation. 

VAGINISMUS. — The term vaginismus is the name 
given to a painful contraction of the vagina, which ren- 
ders coitus impossible. It is associated with a thickening 
of the hymen, and the contraction is due to the extreme 
sensitiveness of the hymen and the membrane lining the 
vulva. It is rarely discovered till after marriage, and then 
it often leads to great unhappiness, and often to separation. 

An operation will completely relieve the trouble, and 
secure a natural accomplishment of the marital relation. 



356 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

INFLAMMATION AND ULCERATION OF THE WOMB. 

The several tissues of the womb are liable to inflam- 
mation, and the sequences resulting therefrom. We may- 
have congestion or inflammation of the neck of the womb, 
or ulceration of the neck. The inflammation may extend 
inside the neck, and into the cavity of the womb, and, if 
treatment is neglected, it usually assumes a chronic form, 
which is much harder to cure than the acute. 

The patient has more or less pain, with a dragging or 
bearing-down sensation in the region of the womb; pain 
in the small of the back and the very end of the spine, 
which often extends down through the hips and thighs; 
severe headaches, especially on top of the head, are also 
common; and there is always more or less discharge from 
the vagina. 

These symptoms clearly indicate some disease of the 
womb, and no time should be lost in consulting a physician 
for examination and treatment. 

LEUCORRIKEA. 

Leucorrhcea, which means a " white flow," is the 
term generally applied to all whitish or yellowish dis- 
charges escaping from the vagina. It is popularly called 
" the whites." It is only a symptom of some disease of 
the vagina or womb, and as such should direct attention 
to the necessity of resorting to proper treatment. Even 
when no other symptom is present, it indicates a chronic 
inflammation that should not be neglected. 

Treatment. — To control the discharge a pint of tepid 
water, in which is dissolved an even teaspoonful of 
powdered borax and a teaspoonful of fluid Hydrastis should 
be used as an injection two or three times a day. If there 
is tenderness of the vagina or womb, a tablespoonful of 



DISPLACEMENTS OF THE WOMB. 357 

laudanum and 30 grains of acetate of lead should be 
added to the pint of tepid water, and used as an injection, 
and repeated three or four times a day. 

Attention should be paid to securing a nutritious diet, 
long walks and standing long at a time should be avoided, 
and, if the patient is debilitated, as is usually the case, the 
elixir of calisaya, iron and strychnine should be taken in 
teaspoonful doses after each meal. This treatment, how- 
ever, is only palliative. An examination should be made 
by a competent physician, and such local treatment as 
may be deemed necessary should be begun at once, and 
continued till a cure is effected. 

DISPLACEMENTS OF THE WOMB. 

The womb, when once affected by disease or injured 
during childbirth, is liable to a number of displacements, 
which become very annoying, and frequently result in 
permanent invalidism. When it falls down into the vagina, 
and is felt close to the orifice of the vulva, it is called 
prolapsus or falling of the womb; when the body falls for- 
ward against the bladder, it is called anteversion, and, 
when the body is tilted backward against the rectum, it is 
called retroversion. It is sometimes bent forward on itself, 
a condition that is called anteflexion, and, when bent 
backward, it is called retroflexion. 

All these conditions cause a dragging sensation and 
weight in the lower part of the abdomen, pain in the back 
and loins, irritation of the bladder and rectum, fatigue 
after slight exertions, and the presence of leucorrhcea, or 
whites. The patient can often put her finger into the 
vagina and feel the womb out of place. 



35^ FACTS FOR LADIES. 

These conditions usually render coitus painful or 
impossible, and prevent conception. 

The treatment in these displacements must first be 
directed to relieving any chronic inflammation of the 
womb, and then to restoring its position and retaining it 
there. 

The physician who has kept pace with the progress 
of his profession, will not use instruments that do harm, 
as used to be the case, but will use such as are constructed 
on scientific principles. You must have confidence in the 
physician you employ, and use any support he sees fit to 
apply. Delay in having these displacements corrected 
often leads to serious results. 

TUMORS OF THE WOMB. 

The v/omb is liable to be the seat of different varie- 
ties of tumors, which may sometimes be mistaken for 
pregnancy. The most common of these are the fibrous, 
or uterine fibroids, uterine polypus, and hydatid. 

Uterine fibroids develop in the substance of the walls 
of the womb, or grow from the outside of the body, but 
those that grow in the walls are the most common. The 
menstrual periods become very profuse when a fibroid 
begins to form, the womb becomes very large, dense and 
hard, and its weight soon becomes a source of great 
annoyance. 

The polypoid tumor grows inside the womb, and is 
usually attached by a small neck. It is also attended with 
profuse menstruation, sometimes with a regular hemor- 
rhage, and with pains resembling labor-pains. These 
pains are caused by the efforts of nature to expel the 
tumor. The womb often attains an enormous size as these 
tumors develop. 



DISEASES OF THE OVARIES. 359 

The hydatid tumor is in the form of a cyst or sac, 
which contains other little cysts that contain a vesicular 
worm. It sometimes attains considerable size, and is fre- 
quently mistaken for pregnancy. Uterine contractions 
break the sac, and a large quantity of fluid containing 
the little cysts escapes. 

The polypoid and hydatid tumors can be success- 
fully removed by operation, but uterine fibroids, when 
operated on, most invariably prove fatal. These latter 
decrease in size after the " change of life," and are often 
greatly benefited by the continuous current of electricity, 
or galvanism. No woman should submit to an operation 
for the removal of a uterine fibroid without considering 
that ninety-nine chances in a hundred are against her 

recovery. 

DISEASES OF THE OVARIES. 

The ovaries are liable to inflammation and various 
kinds of enlargements, that interfere with the natural 
appearance of the menstrual flow. 

Inflammation of the Ovaries. — Inflammation of 
the ovaries may result from cold, may follow confinement 
or miscarriage, or may be caused by inflammation of the 
womb or peritoneum. The symptoms are tenderness and 
pain just above the groin, tenderness on pressure at 
the same point, a burning sensation of heat, scanty or 
absent menstruation, with great pain at the time the 
menses should appear, and more or less febrile disturbance 
with local increase of heat. 

Treatment. — The immediate attention of the physi- 
cian is requisite, to give the necessary remedies to afford 
relief. There are different conditions which require dif- 
ferent treatment, and this fact should be early recognized. 



2>6o FACTS FOR LADIES. 

In extreme cases the ovaries may be removed, but this 
operation should only be consented to as a last resort, and 
then only after careful consideration, and a full under- 
standing of its dangers. 

Ovarian Tumors. — As a rule, little is known as to 
the cause of ovarian tumors. They differ in character 
and size. Usually they attain enormous size, and after a 
time become dangerous to life from their pressure on 
vital organs. When they begin to develop rapidly they 
seriously endanger life in a few months, and the longer 
they remain the more difficult is the operation for their 
removal. 

Modern surgery has made it possible to operate on 
these tumors, and to be successful in 90 per cent, of the 
cases. It is wise, however, to have the operation per- 
formed as early as possible after a correct diagnosis has 
been arrived at. The surgeon who operates, should 
follow the treatment of the case throughout, instead of 
leaving it to his assistants, as is too often the case in large 

institutions. 

CANCER. 

Malignant tumors, commonly called cancers, constitute 
one of the most distressing afflictions known to science, 
and more erroneous ideas prevail concerning them than 
about any other disorder. 

Cancer, when left to itself, is certain to terminate 
fatally in from six months to two years. So-called cancers 
that people are said to have suffered from for years are not 
cancers, but some other form of tumor which may have 
latterly assumed a cancerous condition. They occur in 
some form at all stages of life and in every organ of the 
body, but in women they most frequently appear in the 



CANCER. 361 

breast and in the womb. Any permanent lump in the 
breast should be regarded with suspicion, and, when a 
darting, shooting pain is felt, and there appears the slight- 
est retraction of the nipple, it is certain that a cancer is 
developing. When the womb remains tender and sore, 
when it is hard to the touch, or has a cauliflower appear- 
ance, or bleeds whenever it is slightly touched, and when 
there is a very fetid discharge, a cancer of the womb 
may be safely diagnosed. 

It is a great mistake to put off consulting a surgeon 
about a suspected cancer It should be done at once, and 
the safest treatment is an early and free extirpation with 
the surgeon's knife. The use of plasters and salves often 
hastens the fatal termination of a genuine cancer, while 
hundreds of simple tumors are "drawn out "and advertised 
as cancers. 

I have operated on a large number of cases, and I 
have always been successful when the operation was per- 
formed before the tissue broke down or became adherent 
to the surrounding parts. 

The reason so many bad results have been reported 
after the use of the knife, is that the operations have not 
been performed till the system was thoroughly saturated 
with the poison, and the reason so many good results are 
claimed for the plasters is that the large majority of cases 
so treated are not cancers, but different forms of simple 
tumors. Let all cancers be removed early by the knife, 
and, if the operation is properly performed, they will rarely 
return. 

HYSTERIA. 

Hysteria, or hysterics, though classed with diseases 
of women, is a nervous disorder common to both sexes. 



362 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

It is marked by extreme irritability and excitability of the 
nervous system, and often takes on convulsive paroxysms, 
or short attacks of acute mania. It is not of itself a 
disease, but a symptom which attends many forms of 
organic or functional disorders. An hysterical patient 
should not be looked upon with reproach, as is often the 
case, for they usually suffer more than any one has any 
idea of. 

A person suffering from these paroxysms should at 
once place herself under the care of a physician, who will 
ascertain the cause of the trouble, and attempt to relieve 
that, instead of giving palliative remedies that simply quiet 
for the time being. 



CHAPTER XI. 

GENERAL HYGIENE. 

Condition of Dwellings — Dress — Rest and Sleep — Hygiene of the 
Skin — Hygiene of the Digestive Organs — Hygiene of the 
Respiratory Organs — Hygiene of the Eye — Hygiene of the Ear 
— Hygiene of the Generative Organs. 

It is necessary that we should live in conformity with 
the laws of nature if we expect to enjoy good health, or 
impart it to our offspring. In fact, diseases of all kinds are 
but so many protests against the violation of law, and, if 
the first warnings are heeded, much suffering and death 
may be avoided. To insure a healthy physical structure, 
and the performance of healthy functions, parents should 
carefully follow the advice given in the preceding 
chapters relative to the hygiene of infancy, childhood and 
maidenhood, as well as the directions for the care of women 
during pregnancy and parturition. But this is not all. 
It matters not how perfect the physical development may 
be, we cannot violate nature's law with impunity at any 
period of life. 

Much of the ill health of women is due to preventable 
causes, and, if they would preserve their health and beauty 
and give birth to healthy children, they must conform to 
the general laws of hygiene, a synopsis of which is here- 
in given. 

CONDITION OF DWELLINGS. 

The condition of dwellings has much to do with the 
health of the family, and every home should be provided 

363 



364 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

with proper sewerage and drainage, good ventilation and 
an abundant supply of sunlight. 

When the location and construction of the house can 
be regulated, as is usually the case in country towns, the 
building should be surrounded by a plat of ground so 
that windows open directly into every room. As far as 
possible the sleeping-rooms and sitting-rooms, where 
women spend most of their time, should have a sunny 
exposure. 

Sewerage and Drainage. — The disposal of the 
sewage is an important matter, which, as a rule, is bet- 
ter provided for in large cities than in country districts 
and villages. Waste-pipes and closets should be examined 
frequently, so as to be sure there is no leakage, which 
might otherwise escape notice till serious mischief is 
done. 

In country districts where there is no regular system of 
sewerage, care is necessary to prevent the accumulation of 
sewage, the decomposition of which so often gives rise to 
disease. Earth-closets should be used instead of privies, 
and all sewage material should be collected in metal tanks, 
and removed during the night and used for fertilizing pur- 
poses. It should, however, be covered at once with a 
layer of earth. Open drains should be watched carefully, 
so as to prevent stagnation even of water in them. 

Air and Ventilation. — Fresh air is one of the 
essentials of health, for without it the blood cannot be 
properly oxidized, and hence perfect nutrition becomes 
impossible. The evil effects of breathing vitiated air are 
too well known to require mention here, and it is only 
necessary to urge the importance of securing proper ven- 
tilation for living-rooms and places of public resort. 



CONDITION OF DWELLINGS 365 

The proper heating of houses constitutes an important 
part of ventilation, and the most perfect heating apparatus 
is that which carries pure heated air into the room. A 
hot-air furnace should always have an air shaft from out- 
doors to carry pure fresh air to the furnace, but the registers 
through which the hot air enters the rooms should be 
above the heads of the occupants, instead of being on or 
near the floor, as is the usual custom. The reason for this 
is plain when it is remembered that the carbonic acid gas, 
which is the principal impurity in the air of rooms where 
people congregate, sinks to the floor at ordinary tempera- 
ture, and expands and rises to the ceiling when heated. 
Now, with proper ventilators on a level with the floor and 
close to the ceiling, the current of hot air, entering midway 
between these points, forces the impure air out of both 
these openings. When the heat is supplied by stoves or 
heaters, the air is heated by radiation, and a supply of 
fresh air from without must be furnished so as to keep the 
air circulating and force out the impure air. When an 
open fire-place is made large enough to throw off sufficient 
heat for warming the room, it is the best method of heat- 
ing and ventilating that can be employed. While the 
heat is radiating from the fire, the draft draws the impure 
air up the chimney, and creates a vacuum for fresh air, 
thus keeping the air in continuous circulation. 

The doors and windows of ordinary dwellings afford 
sufficient means for ventilation. Impure air is carried out 
under the doors, while the frequent opening of the outer 
doors admits fresh air. The lowering of the upper sash 
of the window also aids the proper ventilation. 

Sleeping-rooms should always be well ventilated. 
Before retiring the upper sash of the window should be 



366 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

lowered a few inches, and the door left slighly ajar. The 
bed should be so situated that the current of air passing 
between the window and the door cannot pass over it. 
This is of great importance, for much of the ill health of 
both man and woman comes from breething vitiated air in 
a close room during sleep. 

Electric lights should be adopted in all public halls, as 
they do not consume the oxygen, and, when these cannot 
be had, the lights should burn in adjoining rooms, and be 
transmitted through plates of glass. 

DRESS. 

The errors of dress have been previously spoken of, 
and are again mentioned here to impress upon the reader 
that women have as much need to dress hygienically as 
girls and maidens. A stifTcorset, even if not tightly laced, 
constricts the ribs, and thus interferes with natural breath- 
ing, and at the same time keeps up a constant pressure on 
the liver and stomach, which cannot but do harm. A 
snugly fitted waist, without steels or bones, will insure a 
more natural shape than any corset can, and the women 
who adopt this method of dress will soon observe a feeling 
of ease and comfort they had not before known. All 
skirts should be loose around the waist, and supported by 
shoulder straps from the shoulders. 

The custom, still adhered to by so many, of wearing 
long skirts on the street, cannot be too strongly condemned. 
In wet weather the ankles and legs are kept wet with slush 
and water, and thus serious colds are frequently developed. 
Street dresses should not come below the ankles, and even 
in the house, long skirts unnecessarily drag on a woman's 
hips and abdomen, and, sooner or later, she must feel the 
bad effects of such torture. 




RHEA. 



DRESS. 367 

We frequently hear women say that they wish they 
could dress as comfortably as men do. They could do so 
if they wished, and without in the least unsexing them- 
selves, or making themselves appear less attractive than 
they are now. 

Underclothing appropriate for the season of the year 
should always be worn, and changes from heavy to light 
or light to heavy underwear should not be made too soon, 
and, when once made for the season, they should not be 
changed with every slight change of temperature. 

High-heeled boots, so universally worn by women, 
change the natural position of the body, and thus not unfre- 
quently become the first cause ofdisplacementsofthewomb. 
Heels should be low, and the soles thick enough to keep 
the feet well up from the walks. This protects the feet 
from damp, and also from becoming tender and sore after 
long walks. The shoe should be broad enough to prevent 
cramping the foot, and the sole should be broader than the 
upper. It is also best that shoes should be made to order, 
and thus prevent any undue pressure on any prominent 
part of the foot. 

Women must remember that a distorted foot and a 
slender waist that is out of proportion to the rest of the 
body, are not looked upon as beautiful. A full, broad 
breast and still broader hips, with a slender waist, con- 
stitutes a hideous deformity, for which the owner must pay 
the penalty sooner or later. These defects can be cor- 
rected by a style of dress that does not necessitate any 
departure from the usual forms of the garments, and the 
body is developed in harmony with nature, so as to rival 
the models of the old masters in their symmetrical beauty. 



368 FACTS FOR LADIES, 

REST AND SLEEP. 

Proper rest and sleep are necessary to perfect health. 
All the wasted energies are restored, and body and mind 
equally prepared for renewed effort by the rest that comes 
with a tranquil sleep. 

Women who desire to preserve their health should 
make it a rule to go to bed at a regular hour, and they 
should sleep, as a rule, eight hours. Those who retire 
early should arise early, while those who retire late 
should sleep in the morning to make up the eight hours. 
The point is to sleep enough to completely recuperate the 
exhausted energies of the system. If the sleep is broken 
by the care of children, it should be made up by an after- 
noon nap. 

A short rest after a meal is always desirable, and 
especially after a hearty dinner. 

A person should not go to bed hungry. A little food 
taken before resting, if desired, will carry the blood from 
the head to the stomach, and thus insure a good sleep. 
In cases of insomnia, a light meal at bed-time will insure 
sleep when everything else fails. 

Tea and coffee, when taken at the evening meal, or 
before bed-time, produce sufficient brain stimulation in 
most persons to prevent sleep, and for that reason should 
not be taken at night. It is never wise to resort to any 
kind of stimulants or medicine to produce sleep, but, when 
anything of the kind seems necessary, a physician should 
be consulted. 

A good supply of fresh air should always be admit- 
ted to the room during sleep, even in cold weather. The 
normal temperature of the body can be maintained by 
sufficient bedclothing in cold weather. 



HYGIENE OF THE SKIN. 369 

Young persons should not sleep with old people, nor 
healthy persons with those who are suffering from any form 
of disease. In fact, the general tone and vigor of the 
system is best maintained by sleeping alone, and this 
applies to husband and wife, as well as to any others. 

HYGIENE OF THE SKIN. 

The insensible perspiration constantly carries off from 
the skin a considerable amount of material that would be 
injurious to health if retained in the system. Under the 
influence of exertion and extreme heat a sensible perspira- 
tion is produced. This perspiration is an excretion from 
the sweat glands, while the sebaceous follicles secrete a 
substance that acts as natural oil for the hair and skin. 
Both these open into the pores on the surface of the skin. 
When the action of the skin is impaired, the lungs, intes- 
tines and kidneys are called upon to do extra work in 
carrying off the waste products of the body, and, if they 
fail to do so, disease must result. Then pimples and erup- 
tions appear upon the skin that often cause great annoy- 
ance. 

To prevent these conditions, the functions of the skin 
must be kept active by frequent bathing. 

A tepid or cold bath should be taken every morning 
before dressing, but the water must never be so cold as to 
cause a shock. A warm bath should be taken at least 
once a week on retiring, and after either form of bath the 
skin should be freely rubbed with a coarse towel. 

A Turkish bath, when available, is always a luxury, 
and it is sure to keep the skin soft and velvety; and, when 
there is any eruption on the skin, these should be taken 
regularly till it disappears. 



370 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Sea-bathing is also a great luxury to most people, and 
it frequently acts as a tonic to those who have been debil- 
itated from any cause. If a delicate person feels chilly 
on going into the ocean, she should come out at once, and 
be thoroughly rubbed with a coarse towel till a reaction is 
produced. After one or two attempts she will usually be 
able to take a reasonably long bath. The following rules 
should be observed by sea bathers: 

ist. Do not bathe for two or three hours after eating. 

2d. Never go into the water while perspiring. 

3d. Never go in bathing feeling cold. 

4th. Always leave the water while you feel invigor- 
ated. 

5th. Delicate persons should not bathe longer than 
five minutes. 

6th. Fifteen or twenty minutes is long enough for 
any person to remain in the water. 

7th. The body should be rubbed thoroughly with a 
coarse towel, as soon as leaving the water. 

HYGIENE OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 

Impaired digestion entails much suffering upon man- 
kind, and, from their mode of life, women always seem to 
be the greatest sufferers from this cause. 

Walking and other exercise in the open air will 
alw r ays aid digestion, and this should be insisted upon for 
all women. Those who have no work to do indoors will 
find the use of Indian clubs or dumb-bells of great advan- 
tage. 

When there is the least tendency to constipation, it 
should be corrected. If this can be done by eating fruit, 
oatmeal, etc., and by proper exercise, it is best to take no 



HYGIENE OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 37 1 

medicine. Violent cathartics should always be avoided, 
as they make the constipation worse. One drop of tinc- 
ture of nux vomica, three or four times a day, will often 
regulate the bowels better than anything else. If these 
methods fail, a compound podophyllin pill should be taken 
every night till the bowels move more than once a day. 

If the stomach and bowels are distended after eating, 
and there is a tendency to flatulence, all starches and su- 
gars should be excluded from the diet. These would 
include potatoes, corn, rice, puddings and pastry, sweet- 
meats, beets, white bread, hominy, and even oat-meal, 
among the articles that should not be eaten; while those 
that can be eaten include all the meats, fish, oysters, eggs, 
milk, beans, peas, tomatoes, cauliflower, turnips, celery, 
lettuce and graham bread or gluten bread. 

The same diet should be carefully followed by those 
who desire to reduce their flesh. 

It is a great mistake to load the stomach when there 
is no feeling of hunger, and the practice of taking cake 
or tea at afternoon or evening receptions cannot fail to 
derange the stomach if persisted in. 

If any article of food is known to disagree with a 
person, it should not be eaten. 

Persons who are rheumatic will do well to avoid eat- 
ing beef and mutton for a time. 

Soup should always be taken in small quantities at 
the beginning of a meal, and wine should never be drank 
till after the soup. As little fluid as possible should be 
taken with a meal, and the food should always be 
thoroughly masticated before swallowing it. 

Neither mental nor physical effort should be made for 
at least half an hour after a meal, as in either case the 



372 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

blood is drawn from the stomach, and the digestion is 
arrested. 

Light wines may be used at dinner with advantage, 
but strong alcoholic liquors, as brandy or whisky, should 
never be used within an hour before or after a meal, as 
the alcohol precipitates the pepsin from the gastric juice, 
and thus arrests digestion. 

When the stomach is acid, it is always best to abstain 
entirely from eating for twenty-four hours, when as a rule, 
it will correct itself. 

It is always better to stop eating before you feel that 
the stomach is full, than to continue till the stomach feels 
uncomfortably distended. 

As soon as any disturbance of the stomach shows a 

tendency to continue, a physician should be called at 

once. 

HYGIENE OF THE RESPIRATORY ORGANS. 

An abundant supply of fresh air must always be had 
to keep the respiratory organs in a healthy condition. 
Exercise in the open air is always essential. 

If the breathing is short and the chest flat, regular 
breathing exercises should be practiced several times a 
day. The lungs must be expanded to their fullest by 
taking long inhalations, holding the air in the lungs as 
long as possible, and then expiring slowly. It is also 
important to health to keep the mouth closed and breathe 
through the nose. This would prevent much of the 
catarrh and bronchitis so common in northern latitudes. 
The air, in its passage through the nose, is warmed, and 
all particles of dust and air germs are filtered out of it, 
thus protecting the throat, bronchial tubes and lungs from 
irritation that frequently causes disease. 



HYGIENE OF THE EYE. 373 

When any symptoms of catarrh or bronchitis appear, 
they should be promptly treated by some good physician, 
before they become chronic ; and it should be remem- 
bered that the summer season is the only time in which 
chronic inflammation of the air passages can be success- 
fully treated. 

HYGIENE OF THE EYE. 

Diseases of the eye and impaired vision often result 
from ignorance or carelessness ; while an inclination to 
avoid wearing glasses so strains the eyes as to injure not 
only the eyes themselves, but also to produce headache 
and a series of other nervous disorders. 

While reading, the print should be held steady at the 
proper focal distance from the eyes. If this is not done,, 
the eye is weakened by the constant effort to retain the 
focus. For this reason reading on cars should be avoided, 
as the constant jarring of the cars makes it impossible to 
retain the proper focus. 

Whenever it is possible, the light should fall on the 
print or work from the back or side. When we face a 
strong light the pupils contract, and shut out part of the 
light. This renders vision less distinct, and the eyes are 
irritated and weakened by the strong light. 

When particles of dust or cinders get into the eye, 
rubbing should be carefully avoided. Close the lids for a 
few moments, and the increased flow of tears will often 
wash the foreign particles toward the inner corner of the 
eye, where they can be easily removed with a soft hand- 
kerchief. If this does not give relief, seize the lashes of 
the upper lid with the finger and thumb, and pull the lid 
forward and downward, while, with the index finger of the 
other hand, the lower lid is pushed up under the upper 



374 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

lid. The lashes of the lower lid thus sweep the under 
surface of the upper lid, and thus the foreign body is often 
removed. 

If a piece of steel, iron or glass, lime or any other 
caustic, gets into the eye, or if any other injury is inflicted 
upon it, surgical aid should be sought at once. When 
caustic of any kind gets into the eye, some sweet oil may 
be poured into it at once. In all other cases the eye 
should be loosely bandaged, to keep it quiet till the 
surgeon arrives. 

As soon as the print has to be carried farther from 
the eyes than usual, it indicates the necessity of wearing 
glasses, and, if the eyes are tested and the proper glasses 
used at once, much annoyance and injury to the eye can 
be avoided. 

When children can't see without getting close to an 
object, they should be examined for near-sighted glasses. 
Whenever any other defect of vision or soreness of the 
eyes shows itself a competent surgeon or oculist should 
be consulted at once. 

No person should begin to use glasses without having 
their eyes carefully tested, for, when a glass is too strong 
or too weak, it does more harm than good. 

HYGIENE OF THE EAR. 

Deafness is often produced by attempts to clean the 
ears. The use of sponges, brushes, etc., in the ear, usu- 
ally packs the natural wax against the drum of the ear, 
where it hardens and causes deafness. 

The ear should not be washed farther than can be 
reached with the end of the finger. 

The ear should not be washed out with soap and 



HYGIENE OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 375 

water, as it keeps the wax soft, unduly increases its quan- 
tity, and makes it collect the dust from the atmosphere, 
instead of allowing it to become dry and scaly so that it 
can drop out naturally. 

Ear picks should never be used, as they keep up an 
unnatural irritation. 

Do not cover the ears in cold weather, except when 
exposed to unusually severe storms, and do not ride 
exposed to a severe side wind. 

Strong medicines or oils should never be dropped in 
the ears except on the advice of a competent surgeon. 

Cold water should never be introduced into the ear, 
as it produces intense dizziness, and is sure to injure the 
hearing. 

When any defect of hearing is recognized, no time 
should be lost in consulting a surgeon, and conditions that 
may be easily corrected at first, may soon destroy the 
hearing if neglected. 

HYGIENE OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 

Unmarried women should use a pint of tepid water, 
in which is dissolved a teaspoonful of pure carbolic acid, 
as an injection, after each menstrual period. This removes 
any blood that has lodged in the folds of the vagina, and 
prevents irritation of the parts. It need not be repeated 
unless there is a leucorrhceal discharge, in which case this 
injection should be used night and morning till the dis- 
charge disappears. 

Married women should use a pint of tepid water to 
cleanse out the vagina every second or third day, and the 
above carbolic solution after menstruation. 

Cold water should never be used, and extremely hot 



376 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

water is injurious, except at the beginning of an acute 
inflammation. 

The use of various medicated waters for the preven- 
tion of conception, serves no other purpose than to bring 
on disease, and should, therefore, never be used, as they 
are sure to lead to permanent ill health. 

As soon as the first symptom of dragging at the lower 
part of the abdomen and about the hips, pain in the small 
of the back and at the lower end of the spine, or any 
persistent discharge from the vagina is recognized, a 
physician should be consulted, with the view of under- 
going immediate treatment to correct the trouble before 
it takes on a chronic form. 



GLOSSARY. 



Abdomen, The belly. 

ABORTION, Miscarriage; premature labor. 

ABSCESS, A sequence of inflammation; a cavity contain- 
ing pus. 

Amenorrhcea, Absence of the menses. 

Amnion, The internal sac containing the waters and fcetus. 

Antiseptic, Against septic poison; an agent that pre- 
vents putrefaction. 

ANUS, The termination of the bowel; the outlet of the 
back passage. 

Areola, A colored circle; the colored circle that sur- 
rounds the nipple. 

Ballottement, The motion of the fcetus in the womb, 
produced by alternately pressing on the abdomen 
and against the womb with the finger in the vagina. 

Caruncles, Small fleshy excrescences. 

Cholera Infantum, Summer complaint; an inflammation 
of the intestines common to infancy, attended with 
purging and vomiting. 

Chorea, A spasmodic nervous disorder; St. Vitus' dance. 

CUTANEOUS, Of or belonging to the skin. 

CHLOROSIS, Green sickness; an anaemic condition with 
greenish yellow condition of skin, met with in 
maidens. 

CHORION, A skin, or investing membrane; a sac sur- 
rounding the fcetus in the womb. 

377 



378 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Climacteric, A critical period in life; a period of change. 
CLITORIS, The erectile body of the female sexual organs, 
situated at the upper entrance of the vulva. 

col™!' i The sexual act - 

Colostrum, The first secretion of the breasts after child- 
birth. 
Conception, The act of becoming pregnant. 
Congestion, A determination of blood to a part. 
Copulation, The sexual act. 
CORPUS Luteum, A yellow body left after the egg has 

escaped from the ovary. 
Dentition, The act of cutting teeth; teething. 
Diagnosis, The act of deciding the character of the 

disease from the symptoms. 
Diarrhcea, An unnatural looseness of the bowels. 
Digestion, The act of changing food into material for 

nutrition. 
Dysmenorrhea, Painful menstruation. 
Dyspepsia, Indigestion. 
Elixir, A flavored preparation of alcohol, sirup and 

water, in which medicines are dissolved. 
Embryo, The impregnated ovum, or egg, in the early 

stages; the foetus before the fifth month. 
Endemic, A disease confined to a certain district or 

locality. 
Enema, An injection into the back passage to move the 

bowels. 
Epidemic, Upon the people ; a disease extending over the 

entire country. 
Excretion, That which is thrown off. 



GLOSSARY. 379 

FECUNDATION, The act of becoming pregnant; impreg- 
nation. 
Flatulence, An accumulation of wind on the stomach 

and bowels. 
FcETUS, The child in the womb. 
Gestation, The period of pregnancy. 
Glans Penis, The head of the penis. 
Hemorrhoids, A disease of the veins of the rectum; 

piles. 
Hernia, A rupture; a breach. 
HYDROCEPHALUS, Water on the brain; an inflammation 

of the serous membrane of the brain, followed by a 

watery effusion or dropsy. 
Hygiene, The science of preserving health. 
Hymen, A membrane that partially closes the opening 

into the vagina; the maidenhead. 
Hysteria, A spasmodic disease of the nervous system; 

hysterics. 
Impregnation, Condition of being pregnant, or in the 

family- way. 
INFUSION, A tea; medicine prepared by steeping the 

crude drug in boiling water. 
INSOMNIA, Sleeplessness; inability to sleep. 
LEUCORRHOZA, A whitish or yellowish discharge from the 

vagina; the whites. 
LOCHIA, The discharge that follows childbirth when the 

flow of blood ceases. 
Mammary Glands, The female breasts. 
MARASMUS, Wasting of flesh; emaciation. 
Meatus, The mouth of the urethra; the opening from 

which the urine passes. 



3 BO FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Meconium, The black mass first discharged from a new- 
born babe's bowels. 

Membrane, A thin layer of tissue. 

Menopause, The period when menstruation ceases; the 
" change of life." 

Menorrhagia, Profuse menstruation. 

Menstruation, The monthly flow of blood from the 
womb; the turns; the courses; the monthly periods. 

NAUSEA, Sickness of the stomach without vomiting. 

Nitrogen, One of the elemental gases. 

Nitrogenous, Containing nitrogen. 

OCCLUSION, A condition of being shut; closed up. 

(Esophagus, The canal leading from the mouth to the 
stomach ; the gullet. 

Osseous, Bony. 

Ovary, The egg bed; the organ that develops the egg. 

Ovulation, The process of t throwing off the egg from 
the ovary. 

OVUM, The egg; the germinal cell of the female. 

Parturition, Childbirth; labor; the act of giving birth to 
a child. 

Parasite, An animal that lives on another living animal; 
a minute organism that exists in the human body. 

PELVIS, The bony basin that connects the body with the 
thighs, and holds the female generative organs, rec- 
tum and bladder. 

Penis, The male organ of copulation. 

Perineum, The space between the vagina and anus. 

PERITONEUM, A membrane that lines the abdominal 
cavity, and covers the womb and ovaries as well as the 
abdominal organs. 

Peritonitis, Inflammation of the peritoneum. 



GLOSSARY. 381 

Phlegmasia Dolens, Inflammation of the veins of the 

leg ; milk-leg. 
Placenta, The afterbirth. 
POLYPUS, A pear-shaped tumor that grows from mucous 

surfaces, as inside the womb. 
Pregnancy, Being with child. 
Puberty, The age when menstruation begins. 
Rectum, The lower portion of the bowels. 
Reproduction, Producing or bringing forth anew. 
Respiration, Breathing. 
Retroflexion, Bending backward. 
Retroversion, Falling backward. 
Saliva, The spittle. 

Scabies, A parasitic disease of the skin; itch. 
Sebaceous Glands, small glands in the skin that produce 

an oily secretion. 
SECUNDINES, The afterbirth, cord and membranes that 

remain in the womb after the birth of the child. 
SPERMATOZOA, The germinal cells of the male; the impreg- 
nating principle. 
STERILITY, Barrenness; being unable to have children. 
Temperament, A name used to denote the- differences in 

organization of individuals. 
TENESMUS, Spasm of the muscles of the anus. 
TONIC, A strength-giving medicine. 
Tracheotomy, Cutting into the windpipe. 
TYROTOXICON, A poisonous ferment found in milk. 
Ureter, The canal leading from the kidney to the blad^ 

der. 
Urethra, The outlet of the bladder, through which the 

urine passes. 
Uterine, Belonging to the womb. 



382 FACTS FOR LADIES. 

Uterus, The womb. 

Vagina, The canal leading from the vulva to the womb. 

Vaginal, Belonging to the vagina. 

Vaginismus, A spasmodic contraction of the vagina, with 
thickened hymen. 

Venereal, Belonging to or connected with sexual inter- 
course. 

Viability, Being able to live; having life manifested. 

VISCERA, The organs contained in the cavities of the 
body. 

VlTELLUS, The yolk. 

VULVA, The external sexual organs of the female; the 
opening between the lips of the female genitals. 



INDEX 



BEAUTY. 



Alkaline Bath 19 

Analysis of a Graceful Figure 37 

A Beautiful Complexion 14 

A Graceful Carriage 38 

An Excellent Hair Wash 31 

An Oily Skin 19 

Beauty of Form 37 

Beautiful Gray Hair 35 

Best Kinds of Soap 17 

Beware of Arsenic in Any Form . 26 

Blackheads 20 

"Bleaches" 28 

Brushing and Washing the Hair 31 

Camphorated Bath 18 

Care of the Finger- Nails 47 

Cleanliness the Foundation of 

Health 14 

Cold Creams 20 

Cream for the Hands 46 

Cure for Pimples 21 

Dandelion Tea and Charcoal. ... 25 

Dearly Bought Beauty 33 

Developing the Bust 43 

Diet for Reducing Flesh 42 

Dress and Color 48 

Evil Effects of Glycerine 22 

Florid and Sallow Complexions. . 27 

Freckles 28 

French and American Corsets. ... 40 

Hair Dyes 36 

Health of Our Forefathers 15 

How an Actress Reduced Her 

Flesh 41 

House Dresses Should Be Bright 49 
How Italian Ladies Bleach Their 

Hair 33 



How to Whiten the Hands 46 

Importance of Bathing 16 

Importance of Physical Exercise. . 23 

Lotion for the Skin 22 

Milk Bath 18 

Outdoor Life Essential to Beauty 23 

Parisian Habits 24 

Periodic Examination of the Teeth 45 

Perfumes 50 

Perspiratory Glands 15 

Pimples 27 

Powders 51 

Recipe for Cream 21 

Recipe for a Fine Perfume 50 

Recipes for Removing Tan and 

Sunburn 26 

Remedies for Removing Freckles 30 

Remedies for Lightening the Hair 35 

Remedy for Warding Off Wrinkles 25 

Roman Methods of Bleaching. . . 34 

Substitute for Ocean Bath 19 

The Hair 30 

The Hands 45 

The Philosophy of Beauty. 13 

The Teeth 44 

The Turkish Bath, a Flesh Re- 
ducer 42 

Toilet Water for the Bath 18 

Too Much Clothing Worn 39 

Uses of Ammonia 19 

Use of Dumb-bells 37 

Value of Oil and Cold Cream. . . 17 

•Well-fitting Shoes 48 

Well-gloved I lands 47 

Wrinkles 22 



(383) 



334 



INDEX. 



DINING. 



PAGE. 

Afternoon Teas. 65 

Arrangement of the Table 62 

Answers to Invitations 53 

A Model Dinner Table 64 

A Slattern at the Breakfast Table 63 

Beef, Veal, Mutton 72 

Carving 66 

Choice of Venison 73 

Choosing Fish 69 

Concerning Invitations 53 

Concerning Poultry 73 

Eggs and Cheese 74 

Eight Ladies for an Afternoon 

Tea 52 

Flowers Always on the Table ... 62 
Flowers Everywhere and in Every 

Form 76 

Fourteen the Orthodox Number 52 

Fresh Fish 71 

General Surroundings of the Din- 
ing-room 61 

How to Carve Mutton, Lamb or 

Venison 68 

How to Carve Roast Beef 68 

How to Carve a Tongue 69 

How to Carve a Turkey 67 

How to Choose Meat 71 

How to Make Dining a Charm. . 54 

How to Make Perfect Coffee 58 

Importance of Care in Choosing 

Pork 72 

Lake Superior Fish 70 

Let the Dming-room be Well 

Aired 61 

Liqueurs 58 

Lobsters and Crabs 70 

Luncheon 64 

Menu for Breakfast 79 

Menu for Thanksgiving Day. ... 77 
Menus, with Choice Recipes — 

I. 

Frogs au Beurre — Melon — 
Cucumbers — Lamb Chops 
Broiled, Pomme Sara — Cof- 
fee — Eggs en Bechamel — 

Rolls 79 

II. 

Cream of Celery — Boiled Sea 
Bass — Drawn Butter — Pota- 
toes a la Duchesse — Roast 



PAGE. 

Leg of Mutton — Currant 
Jelly — White Turnips — 
Mashed Potatoes, Browned — 
Bird's-Nest Pudding 80 

III. 

Puree of Green Peas — Baked 
Red Snapper — Tomato Sauce 
— Cucumbers — Roast Quail, 
Stuffed — String Beans — 
Mashed Potatoes — Rice Pud- 
ding — Coffee 83 

IV. 

Tapioca Soup — Boiled Pick- 
erel with Melted Butter — 
Boiled Parisienne Potatoes — 
Roast Loin of Veal, German 
Style — Lettuce Salad — Apple 
Compote 85 



Oyster Soup — Broiled Shad 
Parsley Butter — Mangoes 
—Roast Turkey, Stuffed- 
Cranberry Sauce — Roast 
Goose, Stuffed with Apples — 
Brown Sweet Potatoes — Car- 
dinal Punch — Broiled Quail — 
Celery Mayonnaise — English 
Plum Puddings — Noisette 
Panachee — Apple, Mince, 
and Pumpkin Pie — Coffee. . . 87 

VI. 

Tapioca Soup with Rice — 
Fresh Mackerel with Wine 
Sauce — Stewed Potatoes — 
Boiled Partridge — Celery 
Sauce — Broiled Potatoes — 
Asparagus Salad — Neapolitan 
Cream— Cake— Coffee 89 

VII. 

Mutton Broth, French Style — 
Boiled Halibut — Fleurette 
Savce — Sliced Potatoes with 
Cream — Venison Steaks with 
Olives— Boiled Sweet Pota- 
toes — French Artichokes, 
Dressed 9 1 



INDEX. 



385 



VIII. 

PurSe a la Colbert— Baked 
Oysters in Shells — Mangoes 
— Stewed Potatoes — Salmi of 
Wild Ducks — Browned Sweet 
Potatoes — Vegetable Salad 
with Artichokes — Ice Cream 
— Cake — Coffee 93 

IX. 

Vermicelli Soup — Broiled 
Shad with Roe — Cucumbers — 
Breast of Mallard Duck — 
Sweet Potatoes — Fresh Mush- 
rooms — Apricot Fritters, 
Brandy Sauce — Coffee 96 

X. 

Soup a la Chevalier — Stewed 
Lobster, Gloucester Style — 
Fried Potatoes — Curry of 
Chicken with Rice — Baked 
Macaroni — Broiled Quail,Cel- 
ery Mayonnaise — Coffee .... 98 

XI. 

Bouillon — Lobster a la New- 
burg — Cutlet of Minced 
Sweetbreads — Fresh Mush- 
rooms — Lettuce and Tomato 
Salad — Glace — Cake — Coffee 100 

XII. 

Mutton Soup a la Cowley — 
Fried Shad Roe — Tomato 
Sauce — Cucumbers — Fillet of 
Beef Braised — Potato Cro- 
quettes — Fresh Mushrooms — 
Lettuce and Tomato Salad — 
Ice Cream — Cake — Coffee. . . 102 

XIII. 

Chicken Gombo — Brandade 
de Morue (Codfish) — Cold- 
slaw — Boiled Potatoes — 
Spring Lamb — Mint Sauce — 
French Peas — New Potatoes 
— Broiled Snipe on Toast — 
French Artichokes — Dessert 
— Coffee 104 



PAGE. 

XIV. 

Julienne Puree — Fried Smelts 
— Cucumbers — Roulade of 
Spring Lamb — Mint Sauce — 
Browned Potatoes- -New As- 
paragus — Broiled Teal Duck 
on Toast — Artichoke Salad 
— Ice Cream — Cake — Coffee. 106 

XV. 

Julienne Soup — Whitefish 
Nonpareil — Parisienne Pota- 
toes — Roast Red Head Duck 
with Jelly — Baked Sweet Po- 
tatoes — Steamed Apple 
Dumpling — Coffee 107 

XVI. 

Iced Bouillon — Fillet of Sea 
Bass — Cucumbers — Roast 
Spring Chicken, Stuffed — 
Green Peas — NewPotatoes in 
Cream — Lettuce and Tomato 
Salad — Red Raspberries and 
Vanilla Ice Cream — Cake — 
Coffee 109 

Napkins and Napkin Rings 61 

Never Crowd the Table 76 

No Pastry for the Children 65 

Order of Breakfast 63 

Order of Dinner 64 

Order of Service of Dinner 79 

Preparation of the Menu 76 

Quality Rather than Quantity. . . 55 

Schedule of Wines in Order 59 

Selecting and Buying Wine 60 

Temperature of Wine Important. 59 

The Breakfast Table 61 

The Dinner Table a Study 75 

The " Family " Dinner 64 

The Order in Which Wine Should 

Be Served 56 

The Secret of Judicious Invitation 54 

The Time to Dine 53 

The Wine Cellar 60 

Various Kinds of Wine 57 

Vegetables 74 

Well Trained Help 66 



386 



INDEX. 



DECORATION. 



PAGE. 

Andrew Carnegie's Bed 163 

A Dainty New York Bed-room. . 148 

A Drawing-room Described 119 

A Model Gentleman's Den 141 

A Parisian Drawing-room 123 

Bamboo Racks 160 

Beauty of American Wood 115 

Bed-room Hammocks 150 

Bed-rooms Made Into Show-rooms 164 

Books Used in Furnishing 157 

Brass Bedsteads 145 

Carpets or Rugs 124 

Chippendale School of Decoration 153 
Decoration a Thing of Personality 112 
Decoration as Old as Creation ... 1 1 1 

Decoration Woman's Work 116 

Design for Dining-room 136 

Design for Drawing-room 121 

Design for Guest Chamber 140 

Dickens in His Study at Gad's 

Hill 128 

Dining-room Amenities 130 

Dining-room Furniture 135 

Dining-room Tables 135 

Do Not Hide Books 126 

Elegance Is Cheap 153 

Everything Capable of Decoration 113 

Fitness Is Beauty • 157 

French Tapestries 118 

Hangings 117 

Hangings and Sash Curtains 152 

Harmony for the Eye 1 13 

Harmony the Soul of Decoration 1 14 
How to Furnish the Bed-room. ... 144 
Importance of a Mellow Light .. . 151 

Lamps of Various Shapes 156 

Location of Dining-room 132 

Low Wooden Screens 165 

Make the Bed-room Bright and 

Cheerful 144 

Make the Gentleman's Den Pleas- 
ant 141 

Many uses of the Bed-room 144 

Modern Taste a Combination. . . . 168 



PAGE. 

Mrs. Cleveland's Home 121 

No Dining-room, no Home 131 

No Home Complete without a 

Library 125 

Oriental Rugs. , 117 

Ornamental Pedestals for Lamps 159 
Penelope's Unfinished Web ..... . 112 

Portieres and Tapestries 158 

Pretty Devices for the Home 156 

Reception Halls should be Cozy. . 117 
Roomy Closets Indispensable. ... 163 

Russian Rugs 161 

Shades for Windows 151 

Should the Bed-room and the Living 
Room be thrown Into One ? . . 143 

Sideboards 164 

Suggestions Concerning the Dining- 
room 132 

Taste Gravitating Toward the 

Antique 167 

The Bagdad Rug 164 

The Bed-room 142 

The Dining-room 130 

The Drawing-room 118 

The Drawing-room the Throne of 

the Home 118 

The Gentleman's Den 140 

The Guest Chamber 138 

The Home Educates the Nation. . 115 

The House Beautiful 116 

The Library 125 

The Library the Sanctuary of 

Home 127 

The Open Fire-place 137 

1'he Pink Room 154 

The Reception Hall 116 

The Window-desk Idea 129 

Tinsel Madras 165 

Turcoman Portieres 165 

Welcome the Coming Guest 139 

Window Dressing 146 

Windsor Combination Wash Stand 147 

Wilton Carpets 117 

Woman's Kingdom 115 



INDEX. 



387 



HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN 



PAGE. 

Absent Menstruation 192 

Accidents of Labor 288 

Attentions After Labor 278 

A Child's Physical and Mental 

Development 314 

A Woman Should Know Herself. 187 

Babyhood 294 

Baby Hygiene 3°4 

Can Unhappy Marriages Be Pre- 
vented 210 

Cancer 3 60 

Care of the New-born Babe 295 

Celibacy 218 

Change of Life 201 

Childhood 316 

Chlorosis, or Green Sickness 195 

Cholera Infantum 332 

Chorea, or St. Vitus' Dance 341 

Conception and Pregnancy 224 

Complicated Labor 275 

Congenital Deformities 330 

Congestion of the Womb 193 

Convulsions 335 

Courtship 206 

Courting Days Important Days. . 208 

Croup '. ... 336 

Dawn of a New Era on Female 

Education 186 

Diseases of Babyhood and Child- 
hood 325 

Diseases of Women 350 

Disorders of Infancy 326 

Disorders of Pregnancy 240 

Diseases of the Ovaries 359 

Diseases Following Labor 281 

Difficult Labor 274 

Displacements of the Womb 357 

Diphtheria 337 

Dr. Van de Walker on Structural 

Development 179 

Dysmenorrhcea, or Painful Men- 
struation 197 

Dress 366 

Ear-ache and Discharges from the 

Ear 343 

Early Marriages 215 

Early Womanhood the Crisis of 

Being 182 

Education of Children 317 

Eruptive Fevers 339 

Every Woman Should Have an 
Aim in Life 205 



Evolution of the Child 234 

Formative Years of Woman's Life 182 

Foetal Development 229 

General Hygiene 363 

Head Lice 34^ 

Higher Education of Women. ... 184 

High-heeled Boots 183 

Hydrocephalus 335 

Hygiene of Childhood • " " • 318 

Hygiene of the Digestive Organs 370 

Hygiene of the Ear 374 

Hygiene of the Eye 373 

Hygiene of the Generative Organs. 375 

Hygiene of Pregnancy 238 

Hygiene of the Respiratory Or- 
gans 372 

Hygiene of the Skin 369 

Hysteria 361 

Infant Feeding 297 

Infantile Leucorrhcea 344 

Inflammation and Ulceration of 

the Womb 356 

Law of Conjugal Selection 213 

Leucorrhoea 356 

Maidenhood 177 

Maidenhood a Time of Solicitude. 178 

Marriage 208 

Maternal Changes During Preg- 
nancy 236 

Medical Glossary 377 

Menorrhagia, or Profuse Menstru- 
ation 200 

Menstruation 188 

Miscarriage and Hemorrhage 289 

Motherhood 221 

Natural Labor and Its Manage- 
ment 266 

Ovulation 189 

Painless Childbirth 259 

Phimosis and Paraphimosis 344 

Premature Labor 290 

Pre-Natal impressions and Moth- 
ers' Marks 291 

Preternatural Labor 275 

Proper Ages for Marriage 215 

Question of Temperament Dis- 
cussed 211 

Rest and Sleep 368 

I Scabies, or Itch 346 

\ Scaldhead 345 

Signs of Pregnancy 226 

I Sterility 218 



*>n 



388 



INDEX, 



^ 



PAGE. 

Sterility May Be Overcome 220 

Still-Birth 291 

Sore Eyes 342 

Teething 311 

The Capacity of Women for Study. 185 
The Crowning Glory of Woman- 
hood 221 

The External Organs 170 

The Internal Organs 173 

The Verdict of Colleges 185 



PAGE. 

The Period of Structural Devel- 
opment 179 

Tight Lacing 183 

Tumors of the Womb 358 

Various Forms of Labor. . . 268 

Weak Spines and Spinal Deformi- 
ties 348 

Woman's Physical Structure 169 

Womanhood and Wifehood 204 

Worms ,.... 347 



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